


FOREVER BElonging WITH YOU

by tappity_tap



Category: Bleach
Genre: (all tagged characters have dialogue in 2 or more chapters), Awkward First Times, F/M, Family, First Time, Friendship, Illnesses, Just Married, Marriage, Married Life, Medical, Morning Sickness, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Romance, Size Difference, Wedding, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 12:48:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10278455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tappity_tap/pseuds/tappity_tap
Summary: FOREVER BElonging WITH YOU is a direct sequel to the new official novel WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU. Picking up right where it left off as Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Ishida are leaving Renji and Rukia’s wedding reception, this work covers the night of the wedding up to the day Ichika is born as the newlyweds learn to navigate their new life together while preparing for the impending arrival of their first child. RenRuki is front and center for the majority of the story but just like WDkALY it ends with a heavy focus on IchiHime.The exact date of the wedding ceremony is unknown so for the sake of story specificity I have set it on December 27th…the day the novel was released in stores. Ichika’s birthday is also unknown as of yet and again I have taken liberties with this.Because WDkALY has not been fully translated into English yet there may be some discrepancies that come to light later on. However I have done my absolute best to ensure everything is as accurate as possible based on what we have so far.This may be the longest piece of writing I’ve done to date, and all while I was not in the best of health. I’m very proud of this accomplishment.





	1. THE RECEPTION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Mild suggestive themes, alcohol. [This chapter is sfw]

 

“Oi, I’ll see ya guys off. It’s the 6th’s senkaimon, after all.”

The four people he was addressing-Ichigo, Inoue, Sado, and Ishida-stopped walking and looked at him, surprised. Ichigo tilted his head. “Oh. Uh, thanks, Renji.” The others nodded their agreement and continued onward.

With a pointed glance back as if to say “ _I’ve got this,_ ” Renji followed behind and left Rukia to silently observe their retreating backs.

His actions did not surprise her in the least. They had been quietly discussing a certain matter with each other all evening and she had a feeling she knew _exactly_ what he was planning on doing about it. Rukia considered her hunch confirmed when he returned to the table several minutes later unaccompanied and looking slightly more confident than before.

She asked him anyways. “You said something to him, didn’t you?”

“Hey, I just did what had to be done. The kid needs a push every once ‘n a while.” Renji put on an air of aloofness and pretended to fix his finely tailored haori with a casual shrug, the same action he’d repeated frequently throughout the day.

“Don’t I know it,” Rukia snorted as he plunked himself down onto the plush seat beside her. “So how did she respond when he told her?”

This time, he was forced to adjust his coat for real. “Eh, he didn’t tell her he loved her right _there_ , but lookin’ at her face I think she might’ve figured it out. He asked her to ‘ _make time for him_ ’ to ‘ _discuss something important._ ’ Subtle, right?” Renji finished straightening the hem and it fanned out over the back of his cushion.

Then as if to spite it all, he crossed his arms behind his head and reclined into a sloppy posture that visually contradicted the elegance and sophistication of his formalwear. “So…how long’re we talkin’? A year? Two? Five?” He thought for a second and snickered, “3 months?”

Rukia scoffed and swatted Renjij’s side. “Three months? Do you really have that little confidence in them?”

He batted away her second swipe and caught the third and fourth in each hand. “Ow! Hey! Not how long they’ll last! How long before they get to _this point_!” Even in the midst of their struggle he managed to gesture between the two of them. The action flung the sleeve of her magnificently embroidered kimono up before her eyes and suddenly their surroundings came clearly into focus.

Under them, a thin carpet of petals and leaves dislodged from the meticulously manicured branches that spread over the courtyard in a weaving canopy of color. Around them, smells of delicious food still lingered and the fumes from the lanterns gradually blazing to life as the sun sank below the rooftops grew thick. Above them, curtains of hanging gossamer streamers and strings of tiny folded paper cranes rustled softly with every small disturbance in the breeze. In front of them, a lacquered oak table adorned with sprigs of tiny flowers and empty plates.

_This point…_

The scuffling stopped. They blinked at each other.

Slowly, Rukia’s arms slackened as Renji’s grip on her fists went soft. His thick fingers gently jimmied under and around hers until their hands knitted together, palm-to-palm.

“Hey,” Renji whispered warmly. Tender, even. “How ya feelin’, _Mrs. Abarai_?”

Rukia flushed from his intimate affections and the use of her new name. “Renji! Not in front of everyone!” she protested, though there was no denying they made her heart soar in a very pleasant way.

He released her hands and leaned over until his forehead nearly touched hers. “No one’s payin’ attention to us, they’re too busy gettin’ boozed up while they can. See?” One long finger placed itself on her chin and turned her head slightly to the side.

Rukia glanced around. This was true. Filled with vibrant music and laughter in the hours before, the venue was nearly silent and empty now, save for the stragglers taking advantage of the last morsels of food and drink in the 15 minutes before the banquet officially ended. Not that she minded, though. It was not every day that most of them got to dine on such high-class fare, after all.

Several pieces of black hair in her line of vision were suddenly lifted and swept away. She raised her eyebrow at the culprit. “What are you doing?”

Renji carefully tucked the strands behind her ear. Putting on a devilish grin, he curved his hands around the sides of her head and ran his thumbs over her still very red cheeks. “Tryin’ to give my wife a proper kiss,” he replied, demeanor ripe with mischievous intent.

Rukia’s stomach gave an abrupt lurch. Her hands immediately flew to his chest to prevent him from leaning forward any further. “RENJI!” she sputtered, mortified, “W-we can’t do that! I mean…we _can_ …it’s just…it’s not that I don’t _want_ to…but not _here_! It’s too embarrassing!”

His hands dropped to her shoulders. Renji’s features scrunched in confusion and it looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh at her. “Rukia, we _already_ kissed here. Before the banquet. In front of _everyone_. You were fine then.”

“Th-that’s different. It was a required part of the ceremony to make everything official,” she grumbled and attempted to concentrate on anything but the nearness of his handsome face to her own, which currently felt like it would burst into flames any second.

He stared. Then his chest lurched under her hands and he finally released a stifled bark of laughter. Even as she scowled crossly at him, Renji slid his arms around her until she relented and rested her heated face on the cool fabric of his silk kimono. “You can be so silly sometimes, Rukia.” he whispered to the top of her head, though not without fondness.

Normally Rukia wouldn’t be up for such an open physical display of their romantic feelings for each other in public, but as it _was_ their wedding day she supposed she could let this instance go. Besides, she was already wrapped in his warm embrace and moving now would only expose her to the rapidly chilling air.

“I mean it, Renji,” she muttered thickly into his chest, “you know I like kissing you. “

“I know. ‘An I like kissin’ _you_.” Renji brushed his fingers through her hair, lightly.

Her grip on the front of his clothes tightened. “I _want_ to kiss you.”

A chuckle. “Again, same.”

“And, um…” A quick peek around his arm confirmed no one was within earshot. Her heart thudded and she began nervously fiddling with the edges of his haori. “There are… _other_ things…” she admitted, hesitantly, as flashes of a recent dream replayed in her mind.

The hand caressing her hair paused mid-stroke. “…Ohhh?”

Renji sounded calm and collected, but Rukia knew underneath that cool exterior his heartbeat was also picking up in tempo. She could feel it even through the heavy layers of cloth separating them.

Before she could gather up the courage to say any more, a rowdy chorus of wolf whistles erupted close by. One of the perpetrators hollered out, “Oiiii ‘fore ya get too busy over there, we’re splittin’!”

Rukia yelped and leapt up, nearly knocking Renji over. “We were not doing anything!” she declared fiercely to the pack of 11th Division elites in front of them as their heckling turned to snickering.

Renji, who had stayed behind to nurse the spot on his face where one of Rukia’s massive sleeves had whacked him, glared up at them. “’An even if we were…screw you all. You coulda left without interruptin’ us.”

“Oh, but a good guest _always_ says goodbye to their host. We were _just_ trying to be good guests.” Yumichika flippantly tossed his hair and flashed the couple a cheeky grin. Another round of snickering ran through the group.

Renji finally got up from his seat, still rubbing his chin. “Yeah, I bet you were,” he muttered under his breath.

“Ahhh, sorry we disturbed ya at a bad time, Renji.” Ikkaku stepped forward to clap him heavily on the shoulder. The strong smell of alcohol followed. “We’ll let you ‘an Rukia-chan get back t’yer…uh… _tête-à-tête_.” He nodded solemnly and shuffled back with a flop of his hand that could have been an attempt at a salute. More titters arose as the group departed en masse.

Rukia huffed and crossed her arms. “We weren’t doing _anything_ ,” she insisted again even though they had already moved out of earshot.

“Yeah. Bastards.” Renji scowled at the stumbling squad. He folded his hands together behind his neck and shook his head. “Shoulda banned ‘em from the liquor.”

As if to validate his remorse, a voice behind them slurred loudly.

“Kuchiiikiiii! Reeeenjiiiii!”

“And they’re not the only ones,” Rukia stated dryly before she suddenly found herself being pulled along, half her face squished against something large and soft covered in lavender fabric.

“H-hey, Rangiku-san.” Renji’s reply came out in a strangled croak, no doubt from the slender arm flung tightly around his neck that he was trying to (unsuccessfully) pry off. “Enjoyin’ yourself?”

Rangiku grinned widely and tossed her head, smacking the exposed side of Rukia’s face with several locks of long blond hair. “Yeeeah! How could you tell?” The sake bottle next to Rukia’s ear sloshed noisily.

Renji finally broke free from her hold and straightened up to adjust his clothing. “Just a hunch.” He kept stride next to Rangiku and eyed her carefully, likely waiting for an opening to liberate Rukia as well.

“I hate to leave such a nice party…your brother throws _nice_ parties.” This was directed at Rukia, still pinned to her side. “Buuuut Captain said he’s had enough and needs to go to sleep now. _I think it’s past his bedtime._ ” Rangiku leaned towards Renji and loudly whispered the last part.

“Matsumoto! That is _not_ what I said!”

A very irate Captain Hitsugaya stomped up beside Rangiku and grasped her wrist. In one fluid motion, he somehow freed Rukia and started pulling his lieutenant down the pathway to the large ornate gates leading outside. “We’re leaving because _you’ve_ had enough and _you_ need to go to sleep.”

“But I’m fiiiine,” Rangiku protested. Yet pout as she did, she obediently trudged along behind her captain.

Hitsugaya nodded back to Renji, who had immediately flown to Rukia’s side once she was released. “Abarai.” He looked at Rukia and gave her a nod also. “Kuchiki. I wish you both well.”

Renji and Rukia bowed simultaneously. “Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya.”

The sake bottle came dangerously close to flying out of Rangiku’s hand as she waved cheerfully. “Bye-bye! Have lots of fun tonight, you hear?” She then thrust it at them with a deliberate jab and scowled in a comically threatening manner, “Renji, you make sure she’s _thoroughly satisfied_ or I’m going to-”

“Ah, here, Rangiku-san, I’ll carry that for you!”

A figure seemingly materialized out of nowhere and swiped the bottle from her floundering hand before it could cause any destruction.

“Ohhh, _thank_ you Hinamori!” Rangiku chirped to the girl grasping her elbow.

As Hinamori helped Captain Hitsugaya lead his sloshed subordinate away, she called over her shoulder, “Thank you for inviting us, Abarai-kun, Kuchiki-san! We had a lovely time. Congratulations to you both!”

Hinamori’s own captain strolled past the couple after his lieutenant and gave a nonchalant flick of his wrist. “Eh. What Momo said.” He paused before adding slyly, “And I guess what Matsumoto said, too.”

It took a moment for Renji and Rukia to recall just what that was. This time, it actually sank in. Color rapidly filled their cheeks as they somehow managed to fumble through what barely passed for respectful bows.

“U-understood! Th-thank you for coming, Captain Hirako!” both of them sputtered simultaneously. The captain’s toothy grin flashed brightly and vanished from their sights.

The rest of their loitering guests started slowly filtering past them, signaling the party had formally come to a close. All offered kind (and in the case of their closer acquaintances, occasionally _suggestive_ ) words of farewell and congratulations to the couple as they left the scene.

Soon, only one remained.

“Captain.” Renji greeted his approaching superior respectfully with a deep bow at his waist.

“We are not in uniform, Renji. There is no need to be so formal.” Byakuya stopped just short of them on the path and directed his sight to the sinking sun on the horizon. “Especially with family.”

Renji straightened up and blinked in surprise. “Er…right, um, Bya-I mean, Kuchiki…san…ma?” he stammered awkwardly and cringed before making his final hasty correction, “Yes… _Captain_.”

The corners of her brother’s mouth moved up slightly before he addressed her. “Rukia.”

Rukia stepped to his side. “Yes, Nii-sama?”

He stood silently for a moment, continuing to gaze at the sunset as if unsure what to say next. Then his eyes closed and a subtle sigh left him. “I arranged to have the rest of the new furnishings delivered during the ceremony. You should find everything in order when you arrive home.”

She knew this already but still bowed her head in a show of gratitude. “Thank you, Nii-sama.”

Byakuya continued, “If there is anything else you need, I will be more than happy to provide it. My only condition is…” he hesitated then.

Rukia lifted her head after several tense seconds ticked by and watched the features of his profile clench and unclench multiple times. She could feel something significant was about to happen.

The instant he finally looked down at her, the stoic hardness ever present in his face suddenly lifted and a transformation occurred right in front of her eyes. Before her stood a man she had never seen, softer and much younger in appearance, but Rukia knew who he was right away. This was the Kuchiki Byakuya from 60 years ago; The Byakuya who had loved, and been loved by, her sister. When he spoke his voice did not waver or break yet it overflowed with the same crushing sadness that swam in the depths of his gaze.

_“Do not take this for granted, Rukia.”_

Anyone outside the situation would have read this as the head of the Kuchiki clan warning his relative not to take advantage of his generosity, and yes, he still could have been saying that. What his words _truly_ meant, however, was not lost on her, and Rukia’s heart swelled with emotion. The tears she had been holding back all day finally loosened and she drew in a trembling breath. “I won’t, Nii-sama,” she promised him, and meant it with every fiber of her being.

Then as quickly as the apparition from the past appeared, he vanished. The Byakuya of the present now turned on his heel and adjusted his sleeve. “I will take my leave now. I bid you goodnight.”

Rukia quickly wiped the back of her palm across her eyes and dipped down as he strolled away. “Goodnight, Nii-sama.”

Byakuya stopped when he was shoulder to shoulder with Renji, who stood transfixed by what he just witnessed. Neither man looked at the other or said a word as the last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon. Darkness began to settle over the Seireitei.

After a beat of careful consideration, Byakuya lifted his chin and spoke with a pinch more inflection than usual in his standard monotone.

“Try not to _disappoint_ her, Renji.”

He resumed his departure. Renji’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know a creator has done a good job making varied and dynamic characters when they’re this much fun to write interactions for. *thumbs up in Kubo’s direction* Hopefully how I chose to set up the wedding venue doesn’t clash too much with novel canon. @_@
> 
> The first few chapters are Rukia’s POV but worry not! Renji gets his fair share of POV time as well. This deviates in the final chapter when the narration shifts to Ichigo and focuses more on his relationship with Orihime.


	2. THE THRESHOLD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Some sexual content. [This chapter *could* be considered nsfw but nothing explicit happens yet]

Once all their guests had departed, the couple had insisted on staying to help with clean up but were firmly shooed away by multiple people. In particular, the Kuchiki family’s personal servants and valets.

“But…it was _our_ wedding party,” Rukia protested when several of them whisked the plates she had gathered up right out of her arms.

“Exactly! We cannot allow you to lift a finger!” they maintained even as Renji slipped past and tried to clear more of the used dinnerware from the abandoned tables.

It was only with the arrival of their hired rickshaw for the ride home (paid for by Byakuya, of course) that Renji and Rukia finally allowed themselves to be sent on their way.

Now here they were. Seated side-by-side and wrapped in a warm fur robe across their laps big enough to shield both them from the crisp chill of night as they rode through the deserted streets of the Seireitei. Under the robe, one of her hands fit snugly in his and the other clutched the veil their friends had made for her. In her mind’s eye she could clearly picture every beautiful detail as her thumb traced over the strawberry flower designs threaded into the fabric. The radial shapes closely resembled the stars twinkling merrily in the dark sky overhead.

In front of them, the top of their runner’s hat bobbed up and down repeatedly, distinguishable from the darkness only by the twisted white straps that dangled down from the sides and tied under his chin. Under the cover of night the distance between the two of them and the runner was enough that it allowed Rukia to comfortably display a little more affection towards Renji.

Although she was a captain class fighter who could handle herself…and anyone else for that matter…she never felt safer or more at ease than when she could drop her guard and bask in the familiarity of Renji’s presence. He was everything. _Her_ everything.

She didn’t even have to look at him to know he was content with this.

Normally flared from the adrenaline spike that came with the heat of battle or fluctuating with each breath because he was a _passionate_ man and it showed through in every last aspect of him, his reiatsu washed over her like a warm, soothing bath in its rare calmness and she lay her head against his arm to indulge in it. His giant frame, strong and steady even as it sank into the cushions behind them, did not give.

Only when she leaned herself on him fully did he let out a deep sigh and his breath clouded before his face. Then the cloud broke into scattered wisps, vanishing as suddenly as it appeared and he was silent once more.

Other than rhythmic creak of the rickshaw’s wooden wheels and the slow patter of the runner’s sandals slapping stone, there were no sounds to disturb their comfortable silence. Everything was quiet, peaceful.

 _Perfect_.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me now.”

Rukia blinked heavily and shifted her limp body further into him. “Why not?” she asked with all the poise and dignity befitting any Kuchiki noblewoman. That is, if she were two years old and badly in need of a nap.

But then, she realized with a pang, she was no longer a Kuchiki, not really. Only in name as a soldier in the Gotei 13. She would slide back into her old patterns soon enough, likely even sooner with Renji’s encouragement.

“Because what happens if we hit a bump?” Here Renji moved his arm and jostled her for emphasis.  “’An you go flyin’ out?”

He was teasing, she knew, and she played along. “You wouldn’t let me,” Rukia replied with a nuzzle to the firm bicep that had just so rudely disturbed her, “You swore you’d never let me go. I expect you to hold to that, Abarai Renji.”

 “And I am, Abarai Rukia.” His hand gently squeezed. Under her cheek and through the fabric of his clothing she felt the defined muscles of his arm flex. “Besides, the idea of becomin’ a widower the same night as my wedding doesn’t sound too nice.”

 Rukia drew back with distain. “I would _never_ do that to you,” she chastised.

 His other hand reached across to her. “Yeah,” he grinned with a swift chuck to her chin, “I know.”

 Whatever response she was about to give never had the chance to be expressed; at that moment, the runner turned their rickshaw onto a street teeming with nightlife and she reflexively jerked away from his touch. Lively music and the smell of sizzling meat wafted over them, and a chorus of cheers arose when the occupants realized the couple in the rickshaw was recently wed. People waved furiously and called out well wishes as they passed, one group even raising their cups and belting out a few loud verses of some traditional drinking song.

 Rukia bit her lip and looked down at her lap, angry at everyone in the vicinity for pulling her private moment with Renji out from under her. And despite the kind intent of their gestures, she never particularly enjoyed receiving more attention than necessary from complete strangers. _Especially_ when it pertained to her love life.

 Unconsciously desperate to either hide or sulk, she huffed and burrowed herself further under the thick blanket. The hand holding hers squeezed firmly. “Ignore ‘em. We’ll be home soon,” Renji muttered. She noted with some satisfaction that he also sounded annoyed.

 No sooner had those words left his mouth when they turned again, this time onto a residential street lined with handsomely built houses. One that as of a few weeks ago was now theirs, and their ride slowed to a halt in front of the gate.

 “Ah. See?” Renji cocked his head smugly.

 Rukia was unable to put much effort into her reply face; all that went to keeping upright when the carriage gave a small lurch forward as its driver prepared for their disembarkation.

 Once he had laid the handles on the ground, he carefully stepped out from between then and walked over to Renji’s side of the rickshaw. He bowed deeply and swept one arm out in front of him in presentation.

 “Pardon me, Abarai-sama. We have arrived.”

This was announced with perfectly practiced reverence, though by the sound of his voice he couldn’t have been past his late teens.

 Renji let go of Rukia’s hand to fling aside the robe covering their lower halves. With the thick fur gone, all the heat it kept in so nicely for them the entire journey home rushed away into the night and the cold quickly took its place. Both passengers flinched from its sudden bite.

 Then, perching on the edge of the carriage in a surprising display of dexterity, Renji stood and stretched his long, lithe form up to its full potential before roughly dismounting onto the pavement with a grunt of satisfaction.  

 “Right. Thanks a lot!” he grinned and patted his now-vacant seat, “Never rode in one ‘o these before. Gotta say, it was kinda fun, huh Rukia? Real smooth, too. Definitely gonna put in a good word to your boss!”

 The young man started and nodded vigorously in thanks, apparently unaccustomed to being addressed so directly and informally by cliental, but nonetheless grateful for Renji’s sincere words of praise.

 After giving the cushion one last firm slap for good measure, Renji reached out his hand for Rukia to take once more. She grasped it tightly as he helped her descend, internally grateful for the gesture; Being bound in her kimono’s many layers of delicate silk brocade made it very difficult to move in any direction that wasn’t straight forward on even ground. Having her other hand occupied with the delicate veil hindered her balancing ability somewhat as well.

 Rukia gave their driver one last word of thanks and allowed Renji to take the lead through the large wooden gate. It was now she noticed all the lanterns hanging outside the perimeter of the house had already been lit before they arrived. Bright and flickering, they bathed the entire yard in a deceptively warm glow as the couple trekked up the stone path to the main entrance.

 “So…” Renji released her hand and spun about to face her when they reached the single stone stair leading up to the veranda. He towered over her, eyebrow cocked and fists placed jauntily on his hips. “Now a good time?”

 Rukia had no idea what he was talking about until one hand left his side to softly caress her cheek, and she then recalled what had been denied to him earlier at the banquet.

 Her heart leapt. “Um…is he gone?” she asked, referring to the runner.

 Renji gave her an incredulous look but still cooperated and glanced over her shoulder at the gate to make sure. “Yeah. He’s gone.”

 “A-alright,” Rukia nodded and let him slide his hand around the back of her head.

 He drew her in at last.

 They may have been out there for hours or only a few minutes. Who could say? Time always seemed to get away from her whenever it was just her and Renji, though this was something she never found herself concerned about.

 His eyes shone brightly (it could have been merely a trick of the lantern light) when they finally broke apart. “How’s that for a welcome home?”

 Giving a pronounced roll of her eyes, Rukia unwound her arms from his neck and waist and folded them in front of her chest. The veil fluttered and draped itself over one elbow. “Could’ve…been worse,” she responded dryly, trying not to let the catch in her voice give away how much she actually enjoyed that kiss.

 But of course, he knew. He always knew her too well. Shaking his head with a laugh, Renji knelt down at her feet. To her utter confusion, he proceeded to take one of her ankles in his large hand and lift it to slide off her elegant sandal.

 She stared, bewildered, as he set it on the ground next to him and reached for her once more empty-handed. “Renji, what are you doing?”

 Renji froze with his outstretched hand just inches away from grabbing the other foot. “I…uh…I’m gonna carry ya inside?” he answered with the look of a man slowly coming to realize the brilliant plan he is currently in the midst of carrying out is, in actuality, a _very_ _bad_ idea.

 Rukia squinted at him suspiciously. “Why? I can walk by myself perfectly fine.”

 He slowly withdrew his fingers, one at a time. “Um…well…apparently it’s a tradition in the West for grooms to carry brides into the house for the first time after the marriage ceremony.”

 “And what’s the reason for this?”

 Renji awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I…dunno really. Lieutenant Sasakibe mentioned it once. I just…kinda liked the idea of it. Sounded nice.”

 Being carried into the cozy warmth of their home from the freezing cold nestled in Renji’s arms _did_ sound nice, actually. But it was disconcerting enough just thinking this in her own head, let alone telling him directly. Try as she might, however, Rukia found it impossible to concoct a valid –sounding excuse without giving herself away and was resigned to shrugging at him in reluctant agreement.

 With that gesture he perked and looked up at her hopefully. One finger twitched back out over her foot. “So…uh…”

 Rolling her eyes, Rukia lifted her foot so Renji could more easily finish what he started. “If you must.”

 He happily complied. Once it was off, he picked the other one off the ground and held both of them out so she could hook the fingers of her free hand through the straps. As he stood, Rukia asked, “Why was Lieutenant Sasakibe talking to you about wedding traditions, anyway?”

 Renji faltered. “Ahhh…that.” He brushed the dust off his trousers and reached out for her. With one fluid movement, she was swept off her feet and into the cradle of his arms. “Ya know when you were…gonna be executed?” he asked hesitantly while she settled herself.

Comfortably situated, Rukia raised her eyebrows at him and leaned into his broad chest. For support. “I remember that, yes,” she responded dryly.

 “Right.” He cleared his throat before moving in front of the stoop with her. “It was before a Lieutenant meeting not long after. We were the first ones there ‘an got to talkin’. He said…” Renji’s grip on her shoulder and thigh tightened slightly.

 When he failed to continue, Rukia tapped her fingers (and by proxy the toes of her sandals) on his chest impatiently. “What did he say, Renji?”

 Renji chose to look down at the step as he mounted it and then at the wooden floor of the veranda, instead of at her. “He said how I held ya as I ran away reminded him of a groom carryin’ his bride over the threshold to start a new life together. I didn’t get it at first so he had to explain it to me.”

 They both fell silent save for the boards creaking under Renji’s feet. Neither of them had gotten to know Lieutenant Sasakibe very well before he died during the Quincy’s first invasion and they still harbored some regret over this. He always seemed like a very kind man, especially now with what Renji had just revealed. Rukia felt a rush of emotion towards the late Shinigami.

 Here he reached the door and stopped to adjust Rukia’s position so his elbow supported her knees and he could extend his arm from under her. “But…um…it makes sense, I guess. We kinda _did_ start a new life together after that.”

 Rukia scoffed as he took hold of the door and slid it open. “Not a married one. You didn’t even confess to me until shortly before the Quincies attacked!”

 Renji stepped inside. “Might as well’ve been. We were always together, weren’t we?” His expression slackened into a dopey grin. “’An even if we hadn’t said it yet, we were still in love.”

 Rukia had to smile back at that. Though they had started out as friends in childhood, she had come to like Renji in more than just a friendly way in their later adolescent years and was sure he felt the same about her. (This remained unconfirmed until he broke down and confessed almost three years ago) She was certain they had even come close to kissing once in the hallways of the Academy, however the surprise arrival of a group of Renji’s friends from the advanced class had abruptly put a stop to that.

 But before they had the chance to properly explore their feelings for each other, she was whisked away by the Kuchiki family and all hopes of what they could have been were dashed. She tried her hardest to forget him, even found herself interested in other men-including one of her own superiors-during their 50 years apart. Despite that, nothing worked. No one could ever come close to him.

 Then in an unexpected twist of fate, Rukia was (quite literally) thrown back into his life and they were given a second chance, a chance that they _whole-heartedly_ took. They quickly became close again and rarely left each other’s side…much to the chagrin of her brother.

 With as much time as she spent with Renji over the next year and a half, the smoldering embers deep inside were rapidly reignited and Rukia found herself strongly attracted to him once more. That he grew his stunning red hair almost down to his waist and started wearing his uniform open in a deep V to expose a good percentage of his well-muscled chest _may_ have helped speed along the process. Just a tad.

 When he finally confessed to her at the height of a heated argument between them, that night they were caught in a sudden downpour and were forced to huddle under a tree panting and soaked through from the rain, she didn’t even hesitate. She kissed him and scolded him for keeping quiet for so long, then kissed him once more. The rain magically decided to let up shortly after.

 It was not until Rukia fought with the Quincy Äs Nödt during the war and was shown the greatest fear in her heart, what she was so desperately afraid of was losing Renji again for good, that she realized all this time what she had been feeling for him was no mere attraction; She was _in love_.

 There were no qualms in her mind when she grasped his hand and quietly professed she wanted to be _with_ him as they recovered in the aftermath of the final battle. And again when she accepted his clumsy (but sweetly sincere) proposition of marriage and agreed to become his wife.

 The door shut and they both involuntarily relaxed as the air around them quickly warmed up. Renji wiggled his sandals off just inside and stepped up into the entrance hall in his stocking feet. When he made to set her on the floor, Rukia pressed her veil hand into the front of his kimono to stay him.

 “Wait.” She reached back over his shoulder and dropped her own sandals on top of his. He tilted his head as a question and it suddenly made her feel almost too shy to voice hers. “Can…can we stay like this for a bit?” she asked quietly.

 “Oh. Sure, if ya want,” Renji replied, sounding only too happy to honor her request. He took a breath and looked around with eager interest. “Those’re new,” he stated, motioning his head at several decorative pieces in the receiving room alcove that she now noticed and recalled had not been there when they left that morning.

 “So they are.” Rukia pointed to a pair of iridescent painted screens visible through the open kitchen doorway. “And those as well.”

 Renji moved to the entryway of the living room. “Geeze. How much stuff did the captain send over?” he wondered aloud with amusement as he eyed a beautifully carved tea cabinet in the corner.

 It was true Byakuya tended to get carried away with gift giving, and the things he bestowed on them in celebration of their marriage were no exception, but Rukia knew it was only because he cared about her (and perhaps Renji, too) very deeply and this was one of the few ways he felt comfortable with showing it.

 Feeling herself grow flush, Rukia turned her head away from Renji and concentrated on fiddling with the tiny 6th Division crest adorning the right breast of his haori. “I’m sure he only ordered what he thought we needed.”

 “Ah, right. Always said how much I need one ‘o those.” Renji nodded back at the scroll covered in intricate calligraphy that hung in the tokonoma.

 Taking a closer look, Rukia recognized the precise swirling script almost instantly. “Renji,” she scolded flatly with a fingertip poking into the flower emblem’s center, “you realize Nii-sama made that himself?”

 He winced. “O-oh. It’s…uh…nice. I like it.” Clearing his throat, he adjusted his hold on her and continued further into the house.

 This new home was nowhere near as big or grand as the Kuchiki mansion, but it was still a nice size, _more_ than sufficient for two people. Even after getting used to her adoptive family’s lavish living space, Rukia had always felt too small compared to the large splendor of the estate and she was secretly thankful to have downsized quite a bit.

 For Renji, on the other hand, this was a significant upgrade from his lieutenant’s quarters and being fairly poor all his bachelor life, he had never lived in a space of his own with more than two rooms to it. Watching his eyes get bigger and bigger as he took in each residence they looked at while house hunting started off as a source of amusement for her until she remembered this.

 They passed a few spare rooms, one of which they already decided to convert into an office of sorts in case they wanted to bring their work home. That was now outfitted with a low table desk much like the one Rukia had seen Byakuya use on several occasions.  

 In the bath, a large wooden tub overtook the space where previously sat a much smaller one that Renji frequently complained was barely big enough to fit him so this new addition seemed to please him most of all.

 “Very nice,” he remarked casually, glancing it over with an air of satisfaction, “Could fit two people in there, easy.”

 This was said (and likely intended) as an offhand comment but for Rukia, it was acting as a suggestion.

 Now that he had given her the idea, she could easily picture them sitting in that tub after a long day, talking and relaxing in the hot water as they scrubbed each other’s backs. Just like when they were kids bathing in the river, she would lather up Renji’s long hair and gleefully dunk him under to rinse it out after a vigorous scrubbing. He would let her have the upper hand at first before bursting out of the water, laugh triumphantly at her frustration when he loomed over to shake his wet mane out and shower her with thousands of tiny sparkling droplets. And he would push wayward strands of damp red locks out of his face to grin down wickedly at her, “ _Oh, just you wait, Rukia, I’m gonna getcha back good for that!_ ” Lean forward at the same time she rose to meet him. Her hands sliding across his glistening tattooed chest, his tightening around her hips, drawing her to him. Flushed, slick bodies pressed together into a writhing mass of slippery bare skin swathed in steam…

 “Hey, you okay? Ya look at little…lost.” Renji peered down at her curiously.

 “What? I’m fine!” Rukia squeezed her eyes shut to try and clear her head. Where on earth were those images even coming from? That last part _never_ happened when they were kids.

 “Well. Looks like that’s everything,” he stated plainly once they’d moved back into the hall.

 “S-so it seems.” Rukia nodded, still slightly rattled from the strange daydream.

 “So…” Renji’s voice suddenly took on a deeper, more husky quality and she immediately whipped her head up, surprised to catch him gazing down at her with a completely new expression. His dark eyes smoldered with _something_ that had her heart skipping a few beats. “Waddaya say…we head on in to the bedroom now?” he asked, quietly. _Pointedly._

 There was absolutely no mistaking what he intended to do once they got there.

 Rukia froze. “Oh. Um…yes.” Her voice sounded faint and far away.

 She barely felt the warm kiss on her forehead or the thumb rubbing in circles along her shoulder. With each step he took down the hall, her heart throbbed infinitesimally faster and the surface of her skin fizzed in pulsating buzzes. By the time they reached the bedroom even her stomach had started fluttering and whether it was nerves or excitement or both, she was unable to tell. As soon as Renji slid open the door, she nearly leapt straight out of his arms in shock.

 At the center of the room, the two single futons they had slept on since moving into the house had been taken away. In their place was a low platform with a frame made of deep red cherry wood and topped with a pair of woven tatami mats to match the flooring. A wide futon big enough to fit both of them and two generously stuffed pillows had been laid out over it.

 “Huh.” Renji nodded his approval. Then, smoothly, he tipped Rukia onto the floor (and wobbly legs) in front of the platform and spun her by the shoulders so they were face to face. She had held on to her veil the entire time he carried her through the house and now he gently took it from her shaking hands and laid it on a low table nearby.

 Having taken care of everything, Renji shuffled back to stand before her once more and dropped his arms to his sides, eyebrow cocked.

 “Ahem.” Those dark, burning eyes flickered from her to the futon. Then back to her.  His eyelids lowered themselves ever so slightly and the corner of his lip twitched up. “Shall we?” he asked, the low huskiness from before returning and bringing with it a suggestive tilt of his head. His bravado never wavered once, not even when faint pink patches stared blossoming onto his cheeks.

 At that moment, Rukia abruptly sobered up and became very, very cognizant of her current situation. As of the ceremony this afternoon, she was _officially_ Renji’s wife now and he, her husband. They were in their bedroom. Alone. In front of their bed. Her husband was looking her up and down with an intense hunger she had never seen him display before, like she was the only thing in the world he wanted and would ever want again. The only thing holding them back now was the absence of her expressed consent.

 The fluttering sensation in her stomach spiked dramatically.

 Rukia whirled around so she faced the bed instead of Renji and jammed her fists onto her hips. “Th-this is a very good bed!” she declared hotly, hoping the tremor in her voice went unnoticed, “Nii-sama has excellent taste, as expected!”

 She jumped when she felt the sensation of callused fingertips meeting her skin, travelling slowly up her neck and over her jaw. The locks of hair framing the left side of her face lifted and moments later a soft kiss took their place.  

 “I didn’t bring ya in here to admire the furniture, ya know.” Renji’s low murmur vibrated into her cheek.  That, and his lips barely grazing her skin, felt…well…she was unable to describe it exactly but it scattered the flutters into a strange thrill that radiated through her.

  _I wonder how it would feel if he did that a little lower…_

 The unexpected appearance of that thought startled her more than the actions that caused them. “I know that!” she snapped, perhaps a _little_ more shrilly than necessary.

 Renji recoiled and she found herself missing what he had been doing to her. “Um, hey…look…it’s okay,” he assured her in a quiet voice. His broad hands started hesitantly kneading calm circles along her shoulders (for a fleeting instant she imagined those hands moving to _other_ places) and he spoke as soothingly as possible, “It’s okay, ya know. No one said we _had_ to consummate the marriage tonight.”

 Rukia deflated, leaned back into his surprisingly gentle touch. “I…I know that,” she repeated, this time in a tone that matched his. Again, the images flashed through her mind. She tried to will them away but then his strong arms encircled her. Arms that she very much wanted to push her onto the bed, hold her down and _what was WRONG with her?_

 Meanwhile, Renji had mistaken her response as accepting his offer to postpone things. He sighed with a smile and kissed the top of her head. “Right. We won’t do it now.”

 Rukia stilled. The crushing disappointment that set in at those words turned out to be the final straw. With that, she finally conceded to her lustful cravings and allowed her imagination take hold of and play out all the fantasies that were forming until she was physically quivering with the burning thirst to make them real. She wanted to know…no, _needed_ to know what it would feel like.

 What _he_ would feel like.

 Renji’s voice filtered through, “Let’s go to bed. We’ll wait…”

  _I don’t want to wait._

 “…til you’re ready…”

  _I’m ready NOW_.

 “…okay?”

 “N-no.”

 There. It was finally out. After a pause, Rukia drew herself up and repeated firmly, this time without hesitation, “No.”

 Renji’s firm embrace held even as she turned in his arms and rested her forehead on his muscular chest. She felt him shift around her.  “Rukia…?” he asked, hushed and confused.

 “Renji…I don’t want to make you wait any longer.” Her trembling finger traced the edge of his haori. “That is… _I_ don’t want to wait any longer.” Rukia nearly swallowed back her next words from the unfamiliarity of saying such a thing, but at this point her yearning for him was so strong it brought about a sudden burst of boldness.  

 “I…I want you to…make love to me, Renji. Tonight. As my husband.”

Embarrassment flared within her the moment that declaration left her mouth but she had already made up her mind and she was determined to see this through.

Renji stayed silent. His arms slackened ever so slightly and for a moment Rukia considered the possibility _he_ was having second thoughts. Then the hairs on the top of her head rustled gently with his amused chuckle. Though his face was out of sight, she knew he was grinning that lopsided smirk he put on whenever he was up to something.

 “Well, Rukia…as your husband, I’m more’n happy to do that for ya . But we’re kinda _overdressed_ for that sorta thing, dontcha think?” he pointed out with an air of feigned innocence.

 In her current frazzled state, her nerves misfired and translated the enthusiastic _YES_ her brain automatically responded with into a rapidly jerked nod, complete with burning cheeks and a racing pulse.

 Renji’s hold on her finally loosened. One hand (followed closely behind by a light shiver of anticipation) trailed down her back until it reached the bustle of the obi bound about her waist, then it turned and slid along the obijime until the knot in front pressed into his palm. He stepped back to look her in the eye and slowly slid his bandana off his head with the other hand, revealing the tattoos that wound their way from his eyebrows over his scalp.  Though his face was tinged with color and his heart was hammering so hard she could actually _hear_ it, his gaze was determined, filled with desire.

 Desire, she knew, that was all for _her_.

 “ _Then let’s fix that._ ” Renji whispered with a sly smile.

 As soon as she responded with a smile of her own, the bandana fluttered free from his fingers. Then his mouth eagerly pressed itself to hers and she in turn eagerly accepted it, igniting the most ravenous, desperate kiss that had ever occurred between them. Several frantic tugs and fumbled unwindings later, the many layers of her sash fell to join his bandana on the floor. Rukia hardly noticed or cared, already completely caught up in the thrilling energy of their first joint undressing, and immediately moved to help Renji shrug off his haori. Difficult as this was at first due to his having to stoop to accommodate her much smaller stature, it too eventually reached its final destination at their feet.

 The rest of their clothes followed soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don’t know if anyone’s noticed but the chapters titles are all puns/wordplay based on the themes and content of the chapter. For example, this chapter is “The Threshold”, referring to both the wedding night tradition and that they are about to take a step into completely new territory in their relationship. (and worry not…that’s coming up in the next chapter *WINK*). Part IV is the best because it’s basically a quadruple+ pun like good golly was I flipping out when I read up on all the different meanings of the word and almost every meaning applied to the chapter somehow. XD
> 
> Since I’m not an expert on Japanese culture I spent a lot of time (days) just doing research for this story including playing a flash game for elementary school kids learning about traditional Japanese households that I somehow stumbled across. The best part is some of the things I learned from that research actually applied to/helped me better understand a few of the WDkALY translations that came out while I was writing this. lol I’m hoping I got things right but if I didn’t I am more than willing to correct mistakes that are pointed out to me.
> 
> I’ve also been made aware that there are non-English speakers who have expressed interest in this project but are obviously unable to read it. So I am hereby giving my permission (as in you do not have to ask me first) to anyone who wishes to translate any parts of it into another language AS LONG AS you give proper links and credits back to me and the original work.


	3. THE CULMINATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Sexual content and strong language. [This whole chapter and the illustrations are very nsfw.]

Rukia had seen Renji without clothing more than once when he was a child. Plenty of times, in fact. And being a child then herself she thought nothing of it, nor did it phase her whenever he saw her in the same condition.

 This was entirely different.

 The Renji holding himself over her as she lay on their bed was certainly not a child anymore. No longer the scrawny brat made of skin and bones, but a man, grown broad and tall and strong from decades of training and battle.

 Her eyes traveled eagerly over curves and planes of muscle she never recalled him having. The bold tattoos weaving and wrapping themselves across his upper body were new as well; though she had seen some of those even before the wedding, they were being cast in an entirely new light with the current situation and not looking quite as silly as she initially thought. Below his navel, a trail of coarse red curls that grew thicker as they traveled lower led to the one change yet to be revealed, still hidden under his fundoshi. She would never admit it out loud, of course, but that was the change she was most looking forward to seeing.

  _And perhaps even…_

 Before she could start indulging in the imagined possibilities of what she could do to Renji, she was snapped back to the present by the sound of a throat clearing from above.

 Heavily lidded garnet eyes gazed down at her smugly. “Enjoyin’ the view?”

 Rukia flushed and quickly turned her head to the side. Renji catching her staring at (and yes, _enjoying_ ) his practically naked body was made all the more mortifying due to the fact that she was in an equally scarce state of dress, and about to forgo the “practically” altogether. Not to mention his hand was currently wrapped around one bare breast and massaging it in a way that was beginning to feel quite… _nice_.

 But rather than give him the satisfaction of a positive response, she clamped her mouth shut and shifted her hips as subtly as she possibly could, trying _very_ hard to ignore the uncomfortable ache that had started building between her legs.

 Despite her best efforts, he still noticed and one tattooed eyebrow lifted.  “Gonna take that as a ‘yes’.” He smirked and lowered his head to her chest.

 “Sh…shut up.” Rukia grumbled, frustrated that the way he was dragging his teeth and lips over her skin was causing her stomach to flip about excitedly. And how she couldn’t help but throw her head back and gasp when his tongue traced over the tip of the breast he was not currently groping, then bite her lip and grip the edges of her pillow as he took it in his mouth and sucked lightly. God, she had never felt anything so good in her entire life. Where the _hell_ had he learned to do all this?

 Suddenly the heat of Renji’s mouth vanished, which was apparently enough to send an involuntary twinge of annoyance rippling through her. Trying not to appear as dissatisfied as she felt, Rukia opened one eye to find him looking at her with a strange expression. “What?”

 Renji drew in a deep breath through his nose and exhaled in one big huff. A faint pink tint materialized onto his cheeks. “Want me to take care of that?” he asked quietly, inclining his head toward her lower body.

 Rukia looked down. With a jolt she realized she was involuntarily rubbing her thighs together in an attempt to relieve the now almost painful throbbing pressure. And what was clearly his proposal to get her off was certainly _not_ helping things.

 When she failed to answer, his hand left her breast and moved down, down, over her stomach, coming to rest just above her loincloth. His dark eyes bore into hers, serious and focused. She was unable to tear away from his gaze as much as her heart was unable to stop pounding in her ears.

 “D’you want me to?” Renji asked again, softly. His fingertips barely grazed the thin material of the one thing separating them from the most intimate parts of her…the parts that were _more_ than ready to receive them.

 Rukia nodded once. “ _Yes_ ,” she whispered, determined and firm.

 Renji never took his eyes off of her as he undid the ties and tugged away the fabric swaddling her hips. Only once the last bit of her underclothing was removed and discarded did he sit back and let his gaze roam up and down her rapidly flushing body. Several times. All the while, the throbbing persisted. The moron was taking so long Rukia was just about ready to reach down and handle things herself.

 “Enjoying the view?” she finally asked him dryly.

 He sighed with a smile and lay down beside her. “Whaddaya think?”

 Rukia turned on her side to face him. “I think if you don’t get on with it soon, _I_ will.”

 An impish look spread over his features and he lazily traced over the outline of her raised hip. “Yanno, I wouldn’t mind watchin’ that.”

 Rukia blushed. Unbeknownst to him, that was _precisely_ what happened in the dream she lost the chance to tell him about when they were rudely interrupted at the reception. Though now that she thought about it, the Renji in her dream was much more passive than the Renji who actually existed. She doubted the real thing would be able to hold still for that long with her sitting naked on his chest, blissfully sighing and moaning as she touched herself.

 “Maybe…some other time.” Rukia mumbled quickly.

 Renji laughed and adjusted his position so they were nose to nose. “Lookin’ forward to it,” he murmured and leaned his head forward until their lips nearly touched, “but in the meantime, I’m gonna make ya feel so good you can’t even think straight.”

 Then softly, reverently, he kissed her and let his idle fingers trail down her front.

 When they made contact, it was all over.

 Like any of his other pledges, Renji held fast to this one. He knew _exactly_ where to touch her to make her feel all kinds of things that she had never experienced on her own. And it took him very little time to establish a rhythm that she responded best to. There was no need to tell him anything…not that she was able to, anyway.

 Everything; the rough texture of her lover’s strong fingers pressing on her, in her; the way her breasts rubbed against his firm chest with every roll of her hips; the delicious tastes that blossomed forth as their tongues met and entwined, was overloading her rational senses and leaving nothing but the physical urge to seek out anything that could prolong the pleasure building inside of her.

 All Rukia could do was cling flush to his body and act on this instinct. Somehow, her leg unconsciously knew to fling itself around his waist when he pushed one of his fingers fully inside, to give him a better angle. Her body’s movements matched up perfectly with those of his hand without any effort on her part.

 “ _Renji_ …” she tore away from his mouth and whimpered helplessly when she felt a second finger enter. Her arms tightened around his shoulders as the wonderful sensations continued to swell. “ _Oh, god…RENJI…_ ”

 She nearly sobbed when Renji nudged her onto her back and scooted himself down between her thighs so his tongue could join his fingers. One hand grasped his where it kneaded her breast, the other wove tightly through the peak of his bright red ponytail, and her hips bucked again and again into his warm wet mouth.

 Gladly he drank her in, touched, and tasted until Rukia could no longer bear it and was forced to let go with a series of soft gasps and cries. The last sight she beheld before her world clouded over was Renji, his smoldering dark eyes watching her intensely, tongue curling and coated in her essence as he lapped greedily like an animal quenching its thirst. Then it was nothing but the surrender to a haze of pure ecstasy that engulfed every part of her and, even as it dissipated, left a lingering tingle of blissful satisfaction in its wake.

 Finally she had gathered back enough sense to open her eyes. The ceiling slowly came back into focus and her frantic breathing calmed itself. Processing what had just happened, what Renji had done to her and how good it made her feel…Rukia figured she should do that. Eventually. When her mind stopped swimming, maybe.

 “ _Good god, Rukia…you’re fuckin’ HOT when you come,”_ a voice rumbled softly near her ear.

 Rukia turned her head towards the source. Renji now lay next to her on his side drifting his fingers up and down the clammy skin of her arm in nonsensical motions. Apparently the aftermath of her orgasm had left her in such a fog she failed to notice when he moved back.

 “Does it always feel like that?” she asked, slightly dazed, as he kissed a path from her shoulder to her cheek.

 He laughed softly and pushed several sweaty pieces of hair out of her eyes to kiss her brow. “I hope so. Sure looked like you were enjoyin’ it.”

 “And you, you looked like…you knew…what you were doing…” Rukia suddenly felt the icy chill of a horrible realization immersing her entire body.

 Renji shifted slightly, looking somewhat sheepish. “Well…yeah…I mean…”

 The cold rapidly became a sick, boiling heat. Rukia’s blood seared like fire racing through her veins and it consumed from the inside out. All the air rushed from her lungs and it _burned_ , just like the question she managed to quietly spit out with it.

 “ _Who was she, Renji?_ ”

 Startled, he flinched away from the unexpected bitterness. “What? Who’s who?”

 “ _You know exactly who!_ ” She felt too exposed now. Rukia wrapped her arms over her chest and bit her lip, trembling. “The woman who taught you how to do that, Renji. Who was she?” Her eyes stung with hot tears and she blinked them away as best she could but a few still managed to slip out and sear thin winding paths down her face.

 It had been on Renji’s insistence that they waited to go any further than just kissing until after the wedding ceremony…something about his fear of being flayed and roasted alive if her brother ever caught them in an indecent state out of wedlock. And Rukia, anxious at the thought of taking Renji to bed with her when she had never done anything of that nature before, was quick to agree.

 The subject had not been broached since that time so they had never discussed any past experiences with each other. Not that Rukia had any of those, but she had always assumed Renji was just as green as she was and there was no need to bring it up. She knew for certain he never had an official girlfriend before her.

 Now she found her heart sinking rapidly at the thought that he had been casually seeking companionship during their time apart and purposefully kept it from her, the one he so passionately confessed to waiting for, faithfully, for all those years. And what if the _real_ reason he wanted to wait until they had already said their vows was so she was unable to leave him once he revealed this?

 When Renji rolled on top she realized she must have broken his hair tie at some point while he was going down on her; His long hair flowed loose over his shoulders and enveloped them in a shroud of bright red. He placed his hands on either side of her face, supporting himself on his elbows, and gently caressed her warm, damp cheeks.

 “ _Rukia, lookit me_.”

  She did.

 And there was Renji. _Her_ Renji. Breathing deeply, gazing back at her in earnest. Just that sight alone was enough to cool her fury and reassure her. She knew him better than that. He held more love for her than anything, had held it for so long, and that love _waited_.

 Sensing her flaming resentment towards him extinguishing, he spoke again with the barest hint of a laugh under what he said.

 “It…wasn’t a woman. Let’s just say…a lotta the guys in the 11th Division are more’n happy to teach new recruits stuff besides sword fighting.” He smirked. “ _If_ ya buy ‘em enough sake.”

 Rukia started to understand and breathed heavily. “You’re saying…”

 “You’re the only woman I’ve ever been with, Rukia. Just did my homework, is all.” The look Renji gave her was one of utmost sincerity, and she knew once and for all what he said was the truth.  

 Doused with calm relief (and maybe just a slight bit of guilt for her incorrect accusations), Rukia uncrossed her arms and reached up through the hanging tangles of hair to clasp her hands behind his head. “I was _going_ to say ‘you got your former fellow division members drunk and made them tell you sex stories’ but I suppose that works, too.”

 Renji shrugged. “Hey, I needed to know these things for when I got ya back.”  He leaned down until his lips, still glazed with traces of her moisture, were united with hers once more. “Arentcha…glad…I did?” he asked cheekily between each increasingly fierce kiss.

 “Mmm.” She smiled around his roving tongue. He slid it over hers, then pulled it back and used the opening to catch and tease her lower lip between his teeth. Rukia flicked her tongue over his upper lip. He gave a teasing growl in response and dotted her lips with a series of quick pecks and nips, topping it off with a swipe of his tongue to initiate another open-mouthed kiss. Rukia sighed contentedly.

 When she told him she “liked” kissing him earlier that evening, it was actually a severe understatement. Kissing Renji, she found out shortly after they had first gotten together, was _far_ more fun and enjoyable than she ever expected. The numbskull could not do romance if his life depended on it, but kissing? He was _incredible_. Adding to that what he had done to her just moments earlier as someone with little prior experience and she could only conclude that sex was an inherent skill of his, almost on the level of his fighting prowess.

 Strong, tall, handsome, and naturally talented in bed. All qualities that just so happened to apply to the man she fell in love with and was going to spend the rest of her life making love to.

 And Ikkaku thought _he_ was the luckiest Shinigami around…

 After several minutes of playfully making out and letting their hands wander wherever they pleased, Renji pulled back and nuzzled her with his nose. “So…d’you wanna keep doin’ this or…?”

 “This is nice, but…I….ah…that is, I’d like to…” Rukia paused and hesitantly ran her fingertip through the path of hair under his navel, not quite sure of the proper way for a woman to ask her husband if he would please put his cock inside her and make her come again already as she was getting _very_ anxious to experience that.

 Luckily, he knew just what she wanted to say. Renji gave her one last kiss on her cheek and sat back, fumbling with his fundoshi. Rukia watched closely, nerves alight with anticipation. When it finally fell away, she abruptly sat up and sucked in a soft breath. “ _Renji…_ ”

 He smiled sheepishly and ran a hand over his hair after tossing the loincloth aside. “Ah…not what you were expectin’, huh?”

 “No…” Rukia admitted, still gazing in awe and suddenly very aware of just how tiny she was compared to Renji’s…well… _everything_.

 Renji roughly cleared his throat. “Um…yanno…you can touch it, if ya want.” He blushed almost as brightly as his hair and shyly rubbed the back of his neck. This was rarely a demeanor he displayed, but Rukia had to admit even though she preferred his normally hot-blooded brash temperament, he was actually _really_ cute when he got like this.

 Which was a little strange to say considering the stiff protrusion rising up from between those kneeling well-built legs was making her feel all kinds of things that “ _cute_ ” should never make anyone feel.

 Rukia ran her tongue over her lips. “I-I do want to, it’s just…” She frowned and looked up at him shakily “Renji…how is that going to…you’re so _big_ …”

 The blush deepened, though he did seem to puff up a little at being called “ _big_ ”. “Oh, uh…don’t worry. I asked about that, too. The size thing.” He crawled over and sat next to her with his back against the wall. “C’mere.”

 Rukia accepted the hand he held out.  “Lucky me. You thought of everything.”

 “Figured you wouldn’t grow much.” He pulled her into his lap to face him with a pleased smirk, the bashfulness from before quickly disappearing amidst the familiarity of their teasing banter.

 Rukia gave him a Look. “Are you really suggesting I’ve stayed the same size since adolescence?” she asked wryly as she situated herself between his legs and allowed him to arrange her own over his thighs. One glance down at the close proximity of his thick erection to the apex of her parted legs and that throbbing from before was back. She swallowed, feeling a little dizzy.

 Renji noticed this and grinned wolfishly, smoothing his large hands over the swell of her hips. “Nah. You’ve _definitely_ grown where it counts,” he teased and planted a singular kiss on each breast. A light smack on her backside followed for good measure.

 “You’re a pervert, Renji,” she scolded him with a hard pinch to his cheeks.

  _And you’re a hypocrite, Rukia_ her mind responded in reminder of all the dirty things she’d been thinking about him that night, including the newest one: How much she wanted Renji to spank her like that again but harder this time, more than just a firm pat so she actually _felt_ it.

 He still grinned widely despite the hold she had on his face. “Why, thank you.” Gently he prized her off and held a hand in each of his, eventually putting them together between the two of them and brushing a faint kiss over her knuckles. “So…ya ready to do this?”

 “Ah…yes.” She nodded, confident but still a little shaky from nerves. “I’m ready.”

 “Right!” Renji’s expression grew serious and he suddenly took on a tone not unlike the one he used when talking a group of new recruits through drill exercises. “I needja to trust me completely now. I’m supportin’ ‘an helpin’ to move ya but you’re takin’ the lead. Okay?”

 Caught up in the atmosphere, Rukia nodded this time with an air of equal briskness and found herself swiftly snatched up into his grip like she weighed nothing. Then again, she probably _did_ weigh nothing to him. Sometimes she forgot just how strong he was despite knowing it took unbelievable physical strength to wield that massive bankai of his. Or rather, sometimes she deliberately pushed that fact out of her mind due to its tendency to get a little… _distracting_.

 Now, however, she could think about it all she wanted.

 “Hold onto my shoulders,” Renji instructed, “’an relax your legs. I gotcha.” He sucked in slightly and continued, with some hesitation, “Right…uh…you’re gonna have to help me…in.”

 It took a few seconds to realize what he meant by that. “ _O-oh_ ,” was all she could say in response, nevertheless she followed his direction.

 Renji visibly shuddered when her fingers brushed his length, and inhaled sharply when they curved around it. It nestled warm and hard in her palm and Rukia had to suppress the urge to run her hand over it, just to see all the other ways he would react to her touch. At her bidding, the tip slid easily through the parted folds of her slick softness. When it hit one particularly sensitive spot Renji had thoroughly exploited earlier, she involuntarily pressed it into her to feel those sensations once more.

 This new point of contact had an effect on him almost immediately. “Oh, _fuck_ …” he swore softly, tiny pearls of sweat starting to adorn his forehead as he groaned in amazement, “ _God_ …it’s so warm…’an _wet_ …” Despite his increasingly uneven breathing with each nudge, his hold on her remained steady as she ground him against her a few more times before maneuvering into position.

 Once they were in place, Renji paused and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry…Rukia…” he huffed, eyes glazed and half closed under his tightly furrowed brow, “it’s not gonna…be comfortable…at first.”

 Rukia trembled, both from anticipation and from the exhilarating connection they shared. “If it…can’t be helped…it can’t…be helped,” she panted just as heavily. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she braced both arms on his shoulders. “ _Do it_.”

 He took a deep breath and pushed her down.

 They both reacted at the same time. Rukia yelped and dug her nails into his skin. Renji clamped down hard on her waist and his eyes screwed shut.

 “ _SON OF A_ …” he hissed through clenched teeth. “ _Hng…FUCK, Rukia…you’re too tight…you gotta…relax_ ”

 “ _I’m…TRYING…_ ” she gasped. Her eyes watered from the stinging pain, though she protested when Renji made to pull her off. “NO! Don’t! Just…let me get used to this.” She leaned forward onto his shoulder and relaxed her lower body, staying there until she only felt a mild ache.

 All the while, Renji kissed the side of her head over and over. “ _I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Rukia_.”

 “Renji, unless you made yourself this huge on purpose you have nothing to apologize for, so _stop_ ,” she finally muttered into his collarbone. Lifting her head up and puffing a few pieces of his hair out of her mouth, she turned to look him squarely in the eye. “Can we get on with it, please?”

 Renji nodded and his face wrinkled in concentration. “Alright. Lean on me. All on me.  Limp ‘an relaxed as you can.”

 With most of her weight draped over Renji’s chest and shoulder, their subsequent attempts at lowering went significantly better than the first. Rukia buried her face in his neck and bit her lip as he sunk her onto himself, little by little, allowing her to get used to each tiny adjustment before moving on. Every so often he would work a large thumb through the damp patch of curls between her thighs to make sure she stayed aroused and wet.

 Soon her winces of discomfort turned to soft moans of gratification. Having him fill her like this was satisfying something she never knew she wanted, but now it was everything she _needed_. In a strange way, their reiatsus even felt like they were syncing up with each other somehow.

 It took a while for Renji to ease her all the way down, but the wait was worth it for both of them. Flushed, breathless, and feeling the beginnings of something incredible, they pulled back to look at each other.

 He lifted one hand to smooth over her sweaty face. “You okay?”

 Rukia nodded, once again forced to spit out several long red hairs. “Mmhmm. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

 Renji breathed out a small laugh in relief and brushed the rest of his wayward strands away from her mouth. “ _Good_.” With that, he kissed her deeply.

 To Rukia’s astonishment, she started feeling some of the same sensations from before and they had yet to begin moving yet. Or had they started without her realizing? Her hips kept taking on a life of their own earlier so this was a possibility. Just to check, she deliberately rolled them and in return experienced a swirling burst of pleasure.

 And she was not the only one.

 Renji’s head lolled back and he let out a deep, guttural moan that offset her high breathy one. “ _Uhhhnn…Rukia…FUCK….that felt amazing,_ ” he rasped, “ _do it again._ ”

 She repeated the action. This time, Renji met her with a movement of his own and the result was explosive.

 They quickly learned that once the floodgates were opened, there was no stopping it.

 Sometimes, it was slow, leisurely. A gentle exploration that involved the use of their other senses: Learning what he smelled like. What she tasted like. Listening to the sounds they could pull out of each other. Memorizing how they looked when caught up in the pure bliss of the moment.

 Other times, it was frantic, wild, desperate. They could not get _enough_ , they needed _more_. _Now_. They nearly tore each other to pieces in their frenzied haste and it was _still not enough_. It would _never be enough_. And the thought drove them mad with anguish.

 Then it slowed and became a time to laugh. To enjoy each other’s company, as well as each other’s bodies. To tease and see how far they could get before the other would relent. Fool around a little. Waste time, even. It was mischievous and all in good fun.

 They were all different and all good in their own ways. But there _was_ one thing that stayed the same, every time, no matter what: The satisfaction that came when it was all over.

 Hours later, finally spent after so many rapid consecutive couplings, they were forced to concede for the night. Rukia fell back exhausted, but filled with every sort of satisfaction. Renji’s collapsed body weighed down on her, warm and heavy.

 “Holy _shit_.” Renji laughed shakily in disbelief. “ _Fuck_. That was…” He rested his slick forehead against hers and laughed again. “Ahh, I don’t even know, but _damn_ …we’re good together. _Real_ good.”

 Under him, Rukia struggled to regain control of her erratic heartbeat, but she was able to give a hum of agreement. She herself could hardly comprehend what they had just experienced with and from each other. It was _mesmerizing._

 “I love ya, Rukia. I love ya so damn much, I can’t _stand_ it,” Renji gasped breathlessly, trembling as his emotions spilled over. He enveloped her fully in the haven of his embrace and they melded together wherever their heated sticky skin made contact. Rukia was still too winded to speak, and thankfully the humid, feverish kisses she pressed on every inch of him she could reach were enough to make Renji understand she loved him just as much.

 She did, and she knew she _always_ would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t have many of the characters in the story use strong language but Renji seems like the kind of guy who swears a lot when he’s turned on. Or fighting. lol Fun Fact: There is a page and a half grammar rule/speech pattern guide for how I write his dialogue and a subsequent piggyback guide for Ikkaku. I am very thorough about these things sometimes.
> 
> Rukia has so many different sides to play with and she was such a joy to write once I got a basic feel for her character. One of my favorite things to do is have her opinion of Renji keep fluctuating between giant dope and smoking hot sex god, especially at the drop of a hat. So much fun. XD POV switches to Renji for the next few chapters though.
> 
> I once heard that there are three basic ways to categorize intimate encounters: Having Sex, Making Love, and Fucking. I’ve never consciously incorporated that in my writing before and figured now might be a good time. Judging by how their relationship was laid out in the manga and the fact that they have fairly strong personalities I feel like their intimate life would be a nice balance between all three. (By contrast IchiHime feels like most of the time they would encompass the first two categories with an occasional foray into the third)


	4. THE ISSUE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Some sexual content, medical stuff, and illness. [This chapter has a little nsfw bit at the beginning but is otherwise sfw]

Nearly a month had passed since he and Rukia were officially confirmed as a married couple, and for Renji life had never been better.

 Waking up next to Rukia the morning after their wedding ceremony almost made him question the reality of it all. Not that this was the first time he’d woken up next to her…they slept side-by-side almost every night when they lived in the Rukongai, even huddled together under the same blankets on the nights the temperatures dropped below freezing.

 But they’d never woken up next to each other like this, naked and disheveled within their bed linens after spending the night joined together in a passionate physical affirmation of their love, until that day. Watching the sleeping form of his wife stir and give a peaceful sigh felt like a wonderful dream, and even more so when she opened her eyes and kissed him with a smile before they made love again in the glow of dawn.

 If this _were_ a dream, he thought, holding her close while she softly moaned his name, he’d gladly remain asleep for the rest of time.

 He was still riding high on a heightened state of euphoria when he came back to work the following week and it was enough to endure the constant barrage of waggling eyebrows and sniggering comments directed at him, the most popular choice being the question of how Captain Kuchiki felt _“now that his lieutenant was shacking up with his little sister.”_ Whenever the topic came about, Renji would give a shrug and reply “Can’t say. Why dontcha ask him?”

 That usually shut them up.

 Speaking of the captain, being his superior’s brother-in-law was actually going better than anticipated. Even after the marriage was registered two weeks before the wedding their working relationship stayed pretty much the same as ever, though Renji did notice Byakuya now tended to shed a little more of his aloof persona once the door of the office closed and no one else was around to see. It wasn’t much but he would take it over nothing at all. That, and they saw more of each other outside the workplace.

 While Byakuya’s company wasn’t entirely unpleasant, it was the company of another that Renji truly yearned for, but as they were enlisted in different divisions they didn’t see each other much. He missed Rukia terribly during the days he was on duty and frequently found his thoughts turning to her, wondering things like what was she doing at the moment? Was she thinking about him, too? Should he seek her out during their lunch break? Maybe leave work early to pick her up and take her out to a nice (albeit budget-friendly) dinner? What should they plan on doing tomorrow for their day off? Train together?

 But then there were those _other_ thoughts he had to quickly suppress before anyone noticed the hue of his face was coming dangerously close to matching that of his hair.

 It wasn’t that Renji only saw her in that way now, no, not at all.  It was more the newness of actually getting to explore this different facet of intimacy in their relationship after an eternity of celibacy that had him thinking about it more than he’d care to admit to anyone else.

 Once she was used to navigating the vast difference in their sizes, Rukia’s proficiency in the bedroom had quickly flourished. Soon their activities moved out of the bed and onto other places, like the floor. Or the wall. Or the bathtub (that, as it turned out, did indeed comfortably fit two people).

 And there was that one time their evening had started with making dinner together but ended with Rukia flung over the table screaming for more as he grasped her hips and furiously pounded her from behind.

 “Oh god, _harder_ , Renji! Fuck me _HARDER_! YES! _YES_!” She threw her head back and moaned louder with each powerful thrust, even giving a cry of delight when he finally gave in to her multiple demands and planted a few quick open palm slaps on her ass. He was glad he relented on that one. The faint red marks they left behind were pretty hot for sure, but honestly, it would’ve been unfair of him to deny the birthday girl her special request.

 Renji eventually lost count of how many times he made her come that night (it was a lot) but he did at least learn she liked when he twisted his fingers through her hair and pulled her head back to kiss her, and if he bit down on just the right spot near the base of her neck as she was about to climax he could make her orgasm last nearly twice as long. Rukia learned how embarrassingly easy it was for her husband to become fully aroused and insatiably horny if she handled cucumbers a certain way.

 “Is something the matter, Renji?”

 “Ah NO! Not at all, Captain! All good here!” Renji cheerfully shuffled the papers in his hands and put on what he hoped _wasn’t_ a grin that said _“I was just thinking about how much your sister enjoys it when we get rough.”_

 Byakuya’s eyebrow quirked up slightly but he said nothing else and went back to his forms.

 They continued their work in silence until a series of frantic knocks sounded on the office door, followed closely by an equally frantic, but still professional, voice. “Excuse me, Lieutenant Abarai! Captain Kuchiki! I have an urgent message from the 4th Division!”

 Renji froze. 4th Division messages like this only came if one of their subordinates had sustained critical or life-threatening injuries. A few deaths had even been reported to him during his tenure as lieutenant. He tried to rack his brain for any current dangerous missions that involved members of their division but came up empty.

 Byakuya glanced at him, then back at the door. “Enter.”

 The door opened and a young Shinigami with silvery blonde curls and tortoise shell glasses darted in. She knelt on the floor and proceeded to read from an unfurled scroll in her hands.

“From Captain Kotetsu Isane of the 4th Division: This dispatch is to inform Lieutenant Abarai Renji and Captain Kuchiki Byakuya of the 6th Division that Lieutenant Kuchiki Rukia, acting captain of the 13th Division, has been admitted to the our medical facilities for treatment of injuries sustained during morning training exercises-”

 The papers scattered noisily. Renji’s stomach lurched and he leapt to his feet with a roar, “ _WHAT? RUKIA? IS SHE ALRIGHT? WHAT HAPPENED?_ ”

 He’d practically blown his voice with that outburst and his knuckles turned white and numb from how hard he gripped the edge of his desk but he didn’t care. If something bad happened to her…he couldn’t even finish that thought.

 The messenger flinched and nearly dropped her scroll. “I-I’m sorry, Lieutenant Abarai, I do not know the details of what happened.” She cleared her throat and finished relaying the memo to them in summary, “Lieutenant Kuchiki is in stable condition and we can confidently say her life is not in any danger. However, the captain detected some abnormalities in her reiatsu that made her very concerned. She is running tests as we speak.”

 There was some relief that came with knowing she wasn’t in a life-or-death state, but Renji still felt like he was going to simultaneously throw up and pass out from worry. His rapidly weakening legs may have very well given out from under him had a hand not reached out and firmly grasped his shoulder to steady him. Renji whipped his head around, startled.

 Byakuya’s expression was blank but Renji knew his captain was silently telling him to pull himself together, for both his sake and Rukia’s. He gave a terse nod once Renji managed to suppress most of the shaking. “Go. I will finish things here and meet you later.”

 Though he’d regained enough command over his major motor functions to keep himself upright, Renji’s voice still faltered. “Thank you, Captain,” he choked out, his tongue dry and stuck to the roof of his mouth. Byakuya’s grip briefly flexed in imitation of a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

Renji skirted around his desk, all the while yanking off his lieutenant badge and stuffing it inside his uniform since he was technically now off-duty. Thanks to a new law enacted shortly after the war with the Quincies, any Shinigami attending to an immediate family emergency was automatically relieved from their post, though because so few of them even _had_ immediate families this regulation had seldom been invoked since its conception.

 The messenger scrambled to her feet and followed as he brushed past with a clipped “ _Let’s go_.” She managed to stay even with his hastened stride until they got outside where she was swiftly left in the dust of his shunpo.

 Thanks to the extraordinary speed he’d developed from years of dedicated training, it took less than 20 seconds for him to make the journey to the 4th Division’s campus entrance, though he probably could’ve done it in half that time had it not been for his preoccupied thoughts siphoning away at his concentration. In terms of speed among the current group of higher ranked officers of the Gotei 13 Renji was confident he most likely fell within the top five. He couldn’t say this with absolute certainty, however, as he’d never had the opportunity to confirm if anyone besides Captain Soi Fon and his own captain could outpace him. Rankings accuracy aside, he was among the elite Shinigami who were regarded as “ _exceptionally fast_.”

 So, understandably, he was amazed when the girl materialized next to him before he could even attempt to catch his breath. Even in the midst of such a critical situation the drill instructor side of him couldn’t help but be impressed whenever a young recruit showed promising talent.

 “You’re pretty quick,” he commented approvingly as she moved to unlatch the gate.

 She blinked up at him in surprise. “Ah…thank you, sir! It’s an honor to hear that from a ranked officer of your caliber!” Her bespectacled eyes shone with admiration.

 “Yeah,” Renji responded absently, now filling with an uneasy dread as the door groaned open.

 She beamed at him as they hurried inside and made haste towards the main medical building. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant Abarai! Lieutenant Kuchiki is in good hands. I’m sure she’s going to be fine!”

 “Yeah,” he repeated with even less certainty than before.

 By the time she dropped him off at the front entrance Renji was so on edge he barreled through the doors as nothing more than a black and red blur and charged straight past the terrified 4th Division staffers without a word. He didn’t bother stopping at the reception desk to ask which room Rukia was in. Not that it was necessary since he could just seek her out by reiatsu, anyway, and it didn’t take him long to pinpoint her location. With a little more focus, he was even able to pick up on the anomalies the messenger had mentioned.

 He immediately understood why Captain Kotetsu had been worried; he’d never felt anything like that from Rukia’s spiritual pressure before, or anyone else’s for that matter. It was definitely hers but at the same time, somehow, it _wasn’t_ , as if someone was constantly adjusting a radio tuning dial so while the output and volume were the same, the frequencies were crossing and fading in and out. At one point, just for a split second, he even thought he felt a flicker that resembled his own reiatsu, though that was probably just his imagination playing tricks on his frantic brain.

 The door to her room had been left ajar so he slipped inside without a sound and almost collapsed from relief at the sight that greeted him. Next to the window Rukia lay in bed propped up by a fluffy white pillow, inert but fully conscious. The outer layer of her uniform had been removed and placed neatly folded on a chair in the corner. With her hands haphazardly draped across her lap and her head bowed, she painted the perfect picture of a droopy wilting plant until she sensed his presence and perked up instantly.

 “Oh, Renji. You’re here.” She gave a weary smile and automatically reached out to him.

 “Rukia,” his voiced cracked as he knelt by the bed and grasped her small hand in his,  “are ya hurt? What happened?” Trying his best to remain calm, he did a quick visual once-over. There weren’t any visible cuts or bruises on her skin nor was any part of her wrapped in bandages or covered in gauze. She did appear slightly paler than usual but as far as he could tell she was uninjured.

 Rukia bit her lip. “I must have over-exerted myself during training,” she admitted reluctantly. Seeing his eyes widen, she quickly added, “Don’t worry, Renji, I’m alright. Just tired. And nauseous.”

 His heart ached for her. Employing the only method he could think to help her feel better, he lifted her slender hand to his lips. Each knuckle in turn was garnished with a sympathetic kiss. “You got sick?” he murmured into the back of her palm.

 A soft finger stroking over his cheek let him know his sentiments had been received. “Once on the field and twice after coming here,” Rukia grimaced,  “but it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t feel like eating this morning, thankfully.”

 Renji was about to gently scold her for skipping breakfast when the cracked door flew wide open. Their joined hands dropped back onto the bed as the 4th Division’s lieutenant, Kotetsu Kiyone, waltzed in.  Kiyone happened to be the former co-3rd seat of the 13th Division, serving as Rukia’s superior at first, then later her subordinate when she received the promotion to lieutenant. They remained friends even after Kiyone’s transfer to the 4th to serve under her older sister, Captain Kotetsu Isane.

 “Kotetsu-dono!” Caught off guard as she was, Rukia looked genuinely pleased to see her and made to sit up straight.

 Kiyone waved a hand to signal that wasn’t necessary. “Kuchiki-san! How are you feeling?” she asked in an overly chipper tone that gave Renji the odd feeling something was going on that he wasn’t privy to.

 “Um…better. I still feel queasy though,” Rukia informed her.

 “Oh, yes. That’s to be expected.” Kiyone bounced around on the balls of her feet, looking back and forth between Renji and Rukia eagerly.

 Something was _definitely_ up. Renji raised one eyebrow at her. “You look…happy.”

 “Mmhmm!” Kiyone clasped her gloved hands together and beamed as Captain Kotetsu entered the room and stood beside her sister. In her arms she held a clipboard, which she gave a quick once-over before greeting them warmly.

 “Abarai. Kuchiki.”

 They nodded respectfully as best they could given their current positions. “Captain.”

 “Well.” The captain lowered her clipboard. “The good news is, this is not an illness.”

 “So she’s fine? This’ll go away soon?” Renji demanded.

 Instead of giving him a straight affirmative answer, Captain Kotetsu looked to the side and drew in a deep breath. “Not…exactly,” she smiled, more to herself than them, “I’m afraid this will be _very_ long-term.”

 Next to her, Kiyone was practically _vibrating_.

 Renji was thoroughly confused by everything that was currently going on around him. “Uh…Captain…I don’t understand…if she’s not sick…’an hang on, waddaya mean ‘ _long-term’_?” he fumbled through each stilted question to the captain with a strained frown. Talking clearly while attempting to rationalize why the heads of the 4 th Division were acting in such a bizarre manner was far more difficult than it looked.

 At that point, the suspense was too much for Kiyone to take anymore. With a squeak of excitement, she threw her hands up in the air and blurted out at him, “You’re having a baby! Isn’t it _wonderful_?”

 Rukia’s mouth fell open in shock.

 Renji stared at the gleefully bobbing girl before them. No, that couldn’t be…he was _sure_ he hadn’t heard her right. Desperate to stay grounded in reality, he rubbed his eyes with his free hand and gave a rough clear of his throat. Twice. Then calmly, so he wouldn’t mishear anything this time, he lowered his hand to his knee, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry, _what_ …?”

 The hopping faltered momentarily as Kiyone burst out laughing while waving her hand in front of her face. “Oh, I wasn’t very clear was I? Abarai-kun, _you’re_ not having the baby, _Kuchiki-san_ is!” She frowned and tapped her chin. “Hmmm…although I guess that sort of means you are, too, now that I think about it…”

 A bunch of asinine stuttering sounds warbled out of Renji’s gaping mouth. Everything in his vision was going fuzzy and a faint ringing noise started plaguing both ears. His head stiffly cranked itself to the taller of the two blurred shapes in front of him. “C-Captain…?” he croaked at it feebly.

 Captain Kotetsu nodded and stepped in front of Kiyone with a sheepish laugh. “I’m afraid it’s just as she said. Kuchiki is, without a doubt, carrying a child.” She raised her clipboard and produced a thick black pen from somewhere on her person to skim down the top page. “Mm, yes. We did run every test twice to make _absolutely_ sure.  Though I must admit, at first the abnormal patterns to Kuchiki’s reiatsu made me think she might be…”

 Renji _tried_ to listen to what the captain was saying but kept getting distracted by the slight problem of having trouble remembering how to breathe air. Meanwhile, Rukia’s wide violet eyes were steadily growing wider and she looked more and more like she was dangerously close to becoming ill again.

 “…and from what we’ve been able to determine, the fetus was likely conceived shortly before or around the time of your wedding,” Captain Kotetsu rambled on, oblivious to the fact that neither of the people she was addressing had absorbed a single word of what she previously said. The pen tapped several times on the clipboard before she gave them an apologetic glance. “Ah, it _would_ help if you could give specific dates…?

 “Er…d-definitely…not… _before_ …” Renji stammered and he was suddenly too mortified to look anyone in the eye. Rukia’s head thrashed rapidly from side to side in confirmation.

 “Oh, a wedding night baby! How nice.” The captain let out a laugh as silvery as her hair and jotted something down. Behind her, Kiyone flashed them an impressed thumbs up and mouthed _Good job!_

 For a while, the only sound in the room came from the scratching of Captain Kotetsu’s pen. Renji took the opportunity to glance sidelong at Rukia again. If he thought she looked pale before, she was now a shade whiter than the sheets she clutched to her trembling chin.

 “So…what now?” Renji asked uncertainly once the pen was lifted for good. He was trying his best to keep calm and collected, mainly for Rukia’s sake, but this was getting progressively more difficult as his head spun and his hand numbed from her tightening grip.

 “Well…once she feels better you can take her home. And…we will monitor her condition closely. Have her come in every few weeks or so. Oh, and Kuchiki, please don’t use your zanpakuto for a while or stress your reiatsu too much. Hmm…while you could still lead your division in the administrative sense, you should _probably_ be taken off the active duty roster…” Captain Kotetsu sounded more like she was rattling off vague ideas than relaying a clear set of instructions.

 The couple’s rapidly increasing doubt must have been conveyed in their expressions for she quickly held up her hand in what she clearly thought was a confident gesture. “Now, I don’t want either of you to worry. It _has_ been a while since we’ve dealt with a pregnancy, but…I’m sure we can handle it!” With a quick nod for emphasis and a gesture for her sister to follow, both captain and lieutenant exited the room.

 Unsurprisingly, they did not leave behind the most reassured of parents-to-be.

 “Renji…” Rukia breathed out once the door had clicked shut. It was the first time she’d spoken since Kiyone broke the news. “Are we…really having a baby?”

 Renji blew out a breath of his own. He didn’t know Captain Kotetsu as well as her sister (which was to say, _not very_ ) but he knew enough to be certain that she wasn’t the type for practical jokes.

 After briefly contemplating this, he sighed again. “Yeah…looks like it.” He ran his hand over his head and accidentally knocked his bandanas askew. There was no point in fixing them when he was shaking too much to tie a proper knot, not to mention his other hand was already currently occupied, so he didn’t even bother. They came off easily with one solid yank.

 Rukia watched the discarded fabrics drop noiselessly onto the bed beside her and nodded slowly.  “I see,” was all she said. One by one, her fingers unclenched and she lowered the now badly crimped sheet back into her lap. The feeling in Renji’s hand returned as her hold on him slackened as well.

 They were given approximately half an hour to digest this bombshell before Byakuya arrived. Most of that time was spent in reflective silence, broken only when an orderly came in to give Rukia a light meal and a tonic for her upset stomach, and again when the division’s third seat and their good friend, Yamada Hanataro, briefly poked his head in the room to voice his congratulations. Apparently, word had spread fast in the 4th Division.

 When Byakuya swept in, he was composed and calm as ever with only a small fluctuation to his normally steady reiatsu giving away how worried he actually was. “Rukia. You appear to be doing well,” he surmised after his eyes skimmed over her briefly. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge Renji. (Renji found this understandable; he wasn’t the one in the hospital bed after all.)

 “I am, Nii-sama, thank you,” Rukia answered a pitch higher than usual.

 Byakuya noticed, of course. His brow furrowed by the tiniest of fractions. “Have they determined anything?”

 “U-um…well…that is…” she hesitated. Renji could see the cogs working furiously in her head. He knew she most likely _wanted_ to tell Byakuya as she respected him too much to keep anything this big secret but the shock of the unexpected diagnosis was throwing her for a loop.

 Not to mention, this was basically a flat-out admission to her own brother that they were sleeping together (which definitely wouldn’t be news to him seeing as he _had_ been married once himself and knew exactly what activities were routinely practiced within a healthy marriage) but ever the easily embarrassed introvert, Rukia tended to keep a tight lid on every aspect of their private life together, even when it came to close friends. He doubted she’d said anything to Inoue yet or was ever planning on doing so in the future.

 Feeling just as apprehensive as she looked, Renji squeezed her hand and sighed reluctantly, “Might as well tell ‘im now, Rukia. It’s gonna come out eventually, anyways.”

 Renji’s presence was finally acknowledged by his captain looking at him in a way that made him very fearful of losing a good number of things attached to his body. “What does he mean by that?” Byakuya asked Rukia sharply while eyeing Renji’s uncharacteristically bared forehead with a mixture of suspicion and disapproval.

 Reassured by Renji’s prompting, Rukia took a deep breath and adjusted herself off the pillow to sit up straight to answer her brother. “Nii-sama…” she began, confidently as possible. Her voice held steady as she glanced at Renji, who gave her the most encouraging smile he could muster despite growing increasingly tense and more fidgety with each passing second. “It appears I am…with child.” Having said that, she looked back at Byakuya a little more reluctantly and bit her lip, a slight flush coming back to her colorless cheeks.

 Byakuya stilled. Slowly, his scrutinizing gaze left Renji and settled on his sister. Then for the first time that Renji could recall since the day he met him, his captain’s face softened completely and a tiny flicker of something akin to joy shone in his eyes. “You are with child?” he repeated in a hushed voice.

 If they’d been waiting for a sign from the universe, that was definitely it. At those four small words, all the tension in Renji’s shoulders instantly slid right off and evaporated into nothing. He knew by the small sigh Rukia let out that she had fully relaxed as well. The air itself even felt easier to breathe and move about in.

 It was apparent that, much like when they first got engaged, the majority of their anxieties had stemmed from the uncertainty of how Byakuya would take the news. But with that heartfelt response (for him at least), once again, they realized they had worried for naught. Of _course_ he would be elated, even proud. True, the baby wouldn’t carry on the Kuchiki name, but seeing his beloved younger sister and trusted subordinate, whose union he had wholeheartedly (though somewhat ambiguously) blessed, content and thriving to the point of producing a child would certainly bring him at least _some_ happiness.

 Now that the mental blockades barricading in their own feelings were lifted, nothing was left suppress them and they swiftly spilled over.

 “Yes.” Rukia looked back at Renji, her eyes starting to fill with moisture. From the pricking sensation in his own, Renji suspected he was on the verge of tearing up as well. “Renji and I…we’re having a baby,” she declared, her thumb absentmindedly caressing his knuckles. Excitement radiated from her, warm and bright, and it filled him completely until he felt like he would burst.

 Forgetting his captain, forgetting all the fear and worry that overtook them at first, forgetting Rukia had spent the morning throwing up, Renji leaned forward with a choking sob of a laugh and kissed her fiercely with everything he had. He couldn’t help himself. He had never loved her more than he did right at that moment.

 They became a family born from friendship as children, and now, as a man and woman united in love, they were creating an entirely new one. Everything in their lives, every hardship they’d endured and obstacle they’d faced and overcome, had led to this one thing: A single precious entity brought into existence by the bonds they shared.

 Rukia initially baulked in surprise at the action but soon let go of his hand and returned it with full fervor. Adoration, heartache, joy, pain, gratitude. All those feelings and more, they poured into that one kiss. Words alone could never be enough.

 “ _Ahem_.”

 Renji started and broke away from Rukia with a wet _smack!_ They both turned towards the source of the cough with eyes half-lidded and hands still tangled through each other’s tresses.

 Byakuya stood awkwardly over them, shoulders rigid and eyes deliberately averted.

 “I believe…I am needed elsewhere,” he told them flatly, still refusing to grace them with his gaze, “Rukia, see to it you get your rest. Renji…” his eyes closed and his voice dropped slightly in warning, “…make sure you _don’t disturb her_.” Without further ado, Byakuya turned on his heel with a quiet “ _Congratulations_ ” and headed for the door.

 Renji winced guiltily and let go of Rukia. “Understood, Captain. Thank you.” he replied stiffly with his hands folded obediently in front of him, while a thoroughly reddened Rukia lay back on her pillow with a respectful “Yes, Nii-sama.”

 After Byakuya left the room, however, they were somewhat less compliant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything Byakuya does is my second favorite part of WDkALY and now he’s becoming one of my favorite characters to write little snippets for.
> 
> Normally I’m not one for featuring non-canon characters but Hanataro just didn’t quite fit in the role of someone Renji would have any sort of affectionate mentor/parent-like feelings towards so the messenger ended up being some random 4th Division newbie. We don’t know her name though because Renji forgot to ask. lol
> 
> Also remember how I mentioned in the notes for Part II that this title is like a mega pun? Go look up all the meanings of “issue” and you’ll see what I’m talking about. XD


	5. THE DENIAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Illness, pregnancy, alcohol, and some sexual content. [This chapter is sfw for the most part with a little nsfw bit at the very end]

It took less than three days for everyone to know about the Abarai’s impending new arrival. “Everyone” being every single person within the walls of the Seireitei, plus a few beyond. Gossip tended to travel quickly when something unusual took place, as it had with their wedding, and two captain-class Shinigami expecting a baby was also a fairly rare occurrence.

 Fielding questions, on the other hand, was quickly becoming a fairly _frequent_ occurrence.

 “It’s not even…it’s like _this big_.” Renji exasperatedly pinched his thumb and index finger together and cracked them apart by a few millimeters. “We’ve no idea who it’s gonna take after, or what the sex is, or what we’re gonna name it yet ‘cause it’s that tiny ‘an we _just_ found out.”

 Several expressions around the table fell in disappointment.

 “Awww, that’s no fair,” Rangiku complained, plunking her face into her open palm to lean on her arm, “I want to know what it’ll look like!”

 “Ah…well…it’s inside Rukia-san right now so no one’s going to know that until it comes out,” Hanataro told her apologetically. He said this so softly they almost didn’t hear him over the dull roar of the crowded restaurant.

 Cattycorner from him, Ikkaku scoffed and took a swig of his drink. “Who cares what it looks like? We already know it’s gonna be strong as hell, look who it’s got for parents.” He grinned eagerly. “Can’t wait til the kid’s old enough t’spar. _That’ll_ be fun.”

 Visions of a cackling Ikkaku wildly brandishing Houzukimaru in pursuit of a terrified and crying miniature version of himself (tribal tattoos and all) suddenly popped into Renji’s head.

 A shudder ran through him. “Please don’t fight my child til it gets at least as tall as Rukia,” he insisted while secretly praying the kid would inherit her short stature and stay small forever.

 Ikkaku thumped his bottle down on the table and groaned in annoyance. “I agree with Rangiku-san. You’re no fair.”

 “Feh. Who’s to say it’ll even want to be a Shinigami, Ikkaku?” Yumichika mused and chewed thoughtfully on a dumpling, “Look at Omaeda’s family…his father was the former vice captain of the second division but only one of his children decided to follow in his footsteps.”

 Renji had been about to take a sip of his drink but this made him pause. “Wait, really? I didn’t know that.”

 Yumichika plucked another dumpling from the dish in front of him. “Didn’t you? They’re listed one right after the other in the registry of 2nd Division officers. It’s _not_ difficult to make the connection.” He dipped it into the accompanying bowl of sauce with an obnoxious air of superiority that made Renji seriously consider reaching across the table and pouring the entire thing over his meticulously groomed head.

 Hinamori laughed softly and clutched her cup of tea with both hands. “I guess Abarai-kun doesn’t look through the records very often.”

 “I-I do! I just…don’t look any more’n I have to,” Renji protested.

 “Oi, Abarai, should you really be drinking that?” Hisagi cut in and motioned to the cup of sake still poised at Renji’s lips, “I thought you’re supposed to give that stuff up if you’re having a kid?”

Renji cocked an eyebrow. “ _Rukia’s_ the pregnant one. It doesn’t apply to me. Right?” He glanced down the table at Kiyone and Hanataro, who verified his statement with vigorous nods.

 “All the more reason for you not to drink,” Rangiku responded sagely, “if she can’t have fun, neither can you. Oh, bring him a tea!” she called out loudly as a server passed their table.

 Renji sighed and reluctantly set down his cup when the server returned moments later with his tea. His friends _were_ paying for this baby celebration lunch (though they chose not to inform him of said lunch until he stepped outside to take his break only to be ambushed and dragged away) and as such, he felt obligated to graciously accept whatever they ordered for him.

 Not to mention, this was the same group of close acquaintances he and Rukia had gathered together to announce their engagement to first…minus Captain Hitsugaya who, according to Rangiku, was “ _too wrapped up in his paperwork_ ” to leave the office (Renji suspected a good portion of said paperwork was actually _hers_ ). Irritating as they could sometimes be, he knew they cared deeply and only wanted the best for his and Rukia’s marriage, and now their child.

 Renji was about to take the first sip of his tea (which actually smelled delicious now that he was getting a good whiff of it) when Rangiku suddenly spotted someone by the restaurant’s entrance and jumped up to wave them over. “Oi, Kuchikiiii! Over heeere!”

 Sputtering in surprise and nearly dropping his cup, he whipped around and sure enough, there was his wife weaving her way through the throng of patrons. “Wait, you invited Rukia?”

 Rangiku dropped her hand and looked at him flatly. “Of course we did, it’s half her kid, too.”

 “Right…yeah,” Renji agreed, setting down the tea with some reluctance. It was probably easier that he didn’t let on the real reason he was surprised to see Rukia. She was supposed to be busy in a meeting with the 12th Division’s Research and Development team, and it was supposed to take a lot longer than it apparently had if their friends had been able to seek her out and let her know about the luncheon.

 Furthermore, Renji could tell Rukia was upset even before she reached the table, and from that alone he had a pretty good hunch as to why; the news she was about to give him would most likely _not_ be positive.

 When he got up to greet her she rushed into him and flung her arms around his waist, face nuzzling the section of tattooed skin exposed by his parted collar in an unusually open display of affection. Rukia’s comfort level when it came to PDA between the two of them normally tended to hover around side hugs, hand holding, and shoulder squeezes but he fully returned her embrace without question.

 They stayed like that for a while until the “ _awww_ ” noises their friends were making at them became too much and the two broke apart with matching blushes and annoyed frowns.

 Trying to ignore the obnoxious cooing as they sat down, Renji lowered his head next to hers and muttered, “So…what’s the verdict?”

 As expected, Rukia shook her head and pouted. “No go. I’m stuck here until it’s born.”

 Unbeknownst to either of them, Rangiku had been listening closely and now craned her head to try and see Rukia, half hidden from her sight behind Renji’s much larger form. “Eh? What’s that now?”

 “Well…er…” Renji glanced at Rukia, unsure if she wanted to divulge any information. With a shrug of her shoulders, Rukia sighed and peered around Renji to address Rangiku.

 “Research and Development doesn’t want me leaving Soul Society. They don’t know what’ll happen to me or the baby if I cross through the Dangai or get inside a Gigai.” That was apparently all she felt up for disclosing, though, for once she finished saying this Rukia pulled back and folded in on herself without another word.

 Renji picked up where she left off. “We were plannin’ on goin’ to the Living World tomorrow to tell Ichigo ‘an the others,” he explained while sympathetically patting his wife’s hunched back, “but Akon-san didn’t want Rukia gettin’ clearance til he ‘an the Department did some research to make sure it’s safe. Now…guess it’s just gonna be me.”

 “I _really_ wanted to see their faces when we told them,” Rukia grumbled, “especially Inoue’s.” She crossed her arms on the table and plopped her chin on top.

 “I know.” Renji gave in to his husbandly urges and planted a soothing kiss near her temple. Rukia either didn’t notice or was too miserable to care.

 “Why don’t they all just come here and you can tell them at once?”

 Kira had been fairly quiet since they arrived at the restaurant but now he spoke up from the far end of the table. A murmur of agreement arose from the others at his suggestion.

 Renji shook his head. “Too much hassle. They’re all doin’ their own things now ‘an since we wanna tell ‘em soon as possible it’s just easier pickin’ one afternoon to go ‘round.”

 “Oh.” Kira nodded in understanding and went back to silently picking at his lunch.

 “Well that’s disappointing. Sorry, Kuchiki.” Rangiku put on a melodramatic pouty face but they could tell she meant it sincerely. After a moment, she clapped her hands together brightly. “I know! Let’s get something to cheer you up! How about we split a bottle of momoshu?”

 “Matsumoto-san! That’s alcohol! She can’t have that!” Kiyone leaned over and hissed at her, aghast.

 Rangiku giggled sheepishly, “Oh, oops!”

 Rukia sighed and shook her head. “It’s alright. I’m not feeling up for eating or drinking much right now anyways.”

 “Ya gotta eat _somethin’_ , Rukia,” Renji murmured and stroked her hair as gently as he could, “ya haven’t eaten much lately.”

 “Oh, why don’t _you_ try eating when you can barely keep anything down?” she huffed at him, annoyed. When their waiter came by, though, she did end up putting in an order for some rice porridge and a pot of ginger tea.

 Once the waiter left them again, Rangiku leaned towards the two of them with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “So…I’m curious, Renji. How’d Captain Kuchiki take the news?”

 Almost everyone snapped their head in Renji’s direction, the only exception being Rukia, who was still moping at his side.

 Renji shrugged. “He looked happy. A little happier than when we told him we were gettin’ married, actually.”

 “Well, if you think about it, this makes sense, right?” Everyone looked over at Kira, surprised. He blinked and continued, with a somewhat melancholy disposition, “His wife died before they had children. Having a niece or nephew is closest he’ll ever be to becoming a father.”

 Yumichika listened to Kira with rapt attention and thoughtfully rubbed his index finger under his lip. “That’s an interesting theory…I wasn’t under the impression Captain Kuchiki liked children very much.”

 Under his hand, Renji felt Rukia stiffen slightly. “Nii-sama doesn’t _dislike_ children,” she murmured, so softly he had to bend down a little to hear her, “he’s just never…really…” Suddenly, her eyes widened and her body made an odd lurching motion.

 “Rukia…?” Renji reared back and lifted his hand from her hair in alarm as her face rapidly paled.

 Without another word she stood up and bolted for the restroom, right past their confused waiter holding her food and drink, with her hand clamped tightly over her mouth.

 “Uh…” After a moment of sitting there stunned and motionless, Renji turned and looked pleadingly to the three remaining women at the table. “Couldja…?”

 Putting on her best big-sisterly airs, Rangiku nodded and swiftly took charge. “Come on, Hinamori, Kotetsu-san. Kuchiki-san needs us!” The other two rose and followed her lead in the direction where Rukia had run off.

 Hisagi watched them go and turned back to Renji with an apprehensive look. “Yikes. That didn’t look good.”

 Renji sighed and made a motion for the waiter to set Rukia’s order in her empty spot. “No. She’s been havin’ a rough time of it since we found out.” He thanked the departing waiter and leaned his head into his hands. “I _hate_ seein’ her like this but I dunno what to do, honestly.  I don’t even know if I _can_ do anything.”

 Hanataro’s face screwed up in concentration like he was trying to (unsuccessfully) come up with some sort of solution. The other men could only watch Renji with sympathetic expressions as he wove his fingertips through the pulled-back hair just above his bandana.

 “But back to Captain Kuchiki,” Yumichika piped up, somewhat tactlessly for the situation at hand, “does he actually like children? I’m very curious to know what Rukia-chan was about to say.” Ikkaku grunted into his drink as a gesture of agreement.

 “How the hell should I know if he likes kids or not?” Renji unraveled his fingers from his hair and let his hands bang down on the wooden tabletop. “I guess he can handle ‘em okay? He always knew how with Lieutenant Kusajishi, at least.” To be fair, it didn’t take much more than tossing of a bag of candy to keep her reined in, but no one was ever able to do it with the practiced ease that Byakuya could and Renji had sometimes suspected that given the chance, his captain might actually be pretty good with children.

 At least he _hoped_ that was the case now that his own was concerned.

 Everyone else seemed satisfied with his answer and went back to their food and drink. Renji could only pick at his food (the tea was stone cold and far less appealing at this point) and stew in his worry while the minutes ticked by with no sign of any of the recently departed.

 At last, he spotted a familiar flash of cropped sandy brown hair making its way back to them and immediately rose as she passed by him.  “How’s she doin’?”

 “Stable. She’s feeling better, but you should probably take her home.” Kiyone sat back in her seat and folded her arms very brusque and business-like, with an involuntary tug at the 4th Division lieutenant’s badge on her upper arm. “She’s had enough excitement and emotional stress for today, I think.”

 Renji had figured as much and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, okay.” Turning, he scanned the area and motioned their server over once he spotted him. In a low voice he requested that his and Rukia’s food be boxed up to go. The man nodded politely and left.

 Not long after, Hinamori and Rangiku came tottering back to the group, through the maze of tables and people with Rukia supported between them. Once the waiter had handed over their to-go boxes bundled up in a paper bag and Renji had profusely thanked (and apologized to) his friends for that afternoon, he gripped Rukia firmly under the arm and steered her towards the exit.

 As soon as they were outside and away from the stifling atmosphere, he loosened his hold on her.  “Can ya walk by yourself okay?”

 “Of course I can, idiot!” Rukia snapped back irritably and snatched her arm away. Or tried to, at least; With the effects of her illness still lingering, the motion she employed ended up less as a single swift yank and more a series of pathetic tugs. Once she had done that, though, she realized her insolence towards Renji wasn’t at all justified and the regret set in. She visibly deflated. “Renji…I didn’t mean…I’m just so…”

 With a sigh, Renji reached out with the hand that had just released her and gently grasped the top of her head. She lacked the vigor to do anything more than let out a feeble groan in protest when he drew her into his side, however in contradiction to her vocal reluctance she leaned fully into him.

 “Hey…it’s okay,” Renji murmured so only she could hear, “no one’s blamin’ ya for bein’ upset with the ways things’re workin’ out.” He chuckled and kneaded his fingers through her silky black hair. “Least of all, me. Ya know that, right?”

 He didn’t let her off until she relented and nodded in agreement.

 They walked in silence for a while. Renji, with his long strides and full reserves of energy, had to work extra hard to make sure Rukia didn’t lag more than a pace or two behind. Every once in a while he glanced over his shoulder to make sure that yes, she was still with him, silently shuffling along and kicking up little clouds of dust under her feet.

 “I’m so sorry, Renji,” Rukia said quietly, shortly before they reached their street, “this is supposed to be a happy time for us and we can’t even enjoy it when I’m always-“

 Renji stopped right there in the middle of the road and spun to face her dead on with his free hand firmly planted on her shoulder. “Rukia…unless ya made yourself this sick on purpose, you’ve nothin’ to be sorry for.” He raised his eyebrows pointedly and poked the other shoulder as best he could while keeping hold of the bag full of food. “So stop _apologizin’_ , okay?”

 He’d never been more relieved to hear her laugh after a near minute of silence. “Yeah…you’re right.” Rukia sighed and reached up to squeeze his hand. “I’m being ridiculous aren’t I?”

 “Not anymore’n usual, no.” He easily dodged her weakly thrown punch.

 That night they cuddled together in bed under the blankets, warm and drowsy from a relaxing bath, Renji’s body curved around her back and his arms snugly encircling her tiny frame. With Rukia’s head tucked securely under his chin, he listened to her give him instructions for tomorrow while enjoying the feel of the absentminded designs she was doodling over every inch of his bare skin she could reach. In his own way, he was doing his best to make up to her for not being able to accompany him to the Living World the next day.

 “Make sure you remember every word they say.” Rukia grasped his hand and traced her fingertip in rectangular shapes over the back of it. “I would ask you to draw their faces but…” she sighed sadly.

 Renji kissed the outer edge of her ear with a grin. “Sorry. You’re the artist here.” His teeth grazed over the kisses he’d just left on her skin.

 He felt Rukia perk up a little from the compliment, and also probably because he was now circling the tips of her breasts through her clothes with his free fingers. “Renji… _mmmm_ …what if the baby… _ohhhh_ …likes to draw, too?” On his wrist, the movements of her fingers started subconsciously mimicking his.

 Emboldened and encouraged by her positive responses to his manual flirting, he abandoned her breasts and happily walked his fingers down the front of her body.  “Hm…then we’ll have _two_ artists in the family ‘an I get to brag twice as much,” Renji declared. He hadn’t thought about it before but now he was certain he’d be overwhelmingly proud if the baby inherited even _half_ of its mother’s artistic talents.

 Rukia stiffened and very nearly turned around to look at him. “T-two? But what about Nii-samaaa.. _aaahhh_ …” That last stutter was her reaction to Renji’s fingers “accidentally” passing over a certain spot during their migration from her breasts to her thighs. She clung onto him and he could feel her reiatsu pulsate from the budding anticipation.

 “How ‘bout…” Renji’s hand snaked beneath the hem of her nightclothes “We don’t talk about your brother right now…” He slowly pushed them up her thighs, over her hips, until they bunched around her waist. “’An I do everything I can to make ya feel better about all this?”

 Rukia shivered and tightened her grip on his arms when his wandering fingers slid under the waistband of her loincloth. “ _O-okay_ ,” she panted eagerly.

 By the time they actually got to sleep, Renji had made _absolutely_ certain (several times, in fact) that she felt _much_ , much better about having to stay behind tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually the chapter I finished last overall because it’s sort of what I like to call a “bridge” chapter in that it needs to tie things together from both halves of the story while keeping momentum going. Juggling 10 characters at the same time in one scene also made me want to rip my hair out at times. @_@ Honestly I’m not particularly fond of it but with so much necessary information and set-ups, taking it out was just not an option. Hopefully the character banter makes this a worthwhile read.
> 
> I felt bad having Rukia stay in Soul Society but honestly I feel like having two different spiritual energies inside one spirit body would cause a lot of complications with the things Shinigami use to go to the Living World. Would she need one hell butterfly or two to cross the Dangai? Would the Gigai have to have another Gigai inside of it for the baby? On top of that, would so much concentrated energy attract Hollows faster? Just…way too much uncertainty there and since it seems like weddings and pregnancies don’t happen often with enlisted Shinigami the12th Division really wouldn’t have much information on this. Test tube babies on the other hand… lol
> 
> Good news: IchiHime is in the story starting with the next chapter.


	6. THE RELAY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Pregnancy mentions. [This chapter is very sfw]

The Kurosaki’s house was last on Renji’s list.

 Ideally, Ichigo would’ve been the first person he’d want to break the news to but unfortunately, as a university student, he had class all day and wouldn’t be home until around 5pm. So as soon as Renji stepped out of the portal and into the cold winter air of the Living World, he shivered and set off for Urahara’s establishment with his coat pulled tightly around him.

 “Ohhhh, my my my!” The shopkeeper snapped open his fan with a sly wink “You two certainly didn’t waste _any_ time, did you?” Behind him, the kids (and even Tessai) covered their mouths and snickered.

 As luck would have it, Shihoin Yoruichi was in the Living World that day as well, on break from teaching at the Academy. She smirked right along with them. “Feels good knowing you actually got it right, huh?”

 Renji dodged the poke she aimed at his arm and mentally kicked himself for even going there in the first place.

 He found Sado training hard at his gym, soaked with sweat and sorely in need of a break. When Renji told him the news, he was so stunned he actually paused in the middle of towel-drying his damp hair and sank down onto a nearby bench.

 “Wow,” he kept repeating, shaking his head in amazement and reaching for his water bottle, “ _Wow_. That’s great, Abarai.” He took a long swing, only putting it down to flash a happy grin and a thumbs-up as Renji left.

 After ringing the doorbell, Renji stood freezing outside Inoue’s apartment for what seemed like forever before finally accepting she wasn’t home (maybe Rukia wrote down her work schedule wrong?) and he’d have to come back later. Or one of the guys would tell her first. Probably the latter.

 Up next was…

 “…Oh.”

 Renji crossed his arms in annoyance. “Really? That’s all ya have to say? ‘ _Oh_ ’?”

 Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger. “I apologize if I seem unenthused, Abarai-san. I was simply unaware that Shinigami had any sort of natural reproductive capabilities. As a Quincy, and even from a medical standpoint, I’m actually very intrigued.”

 “Ya know Ichigo’s old man was a Shinigami, right?”

 “One who’d been bound to a human body and was living here as a human, yes.” Ishida reminded him. “However, you and Kuchiki are deceased souls unattached to physical bodies. It makes no logical sense for you to be able to conceive.”

 He…actually had a fair point. But Renji wouldn’t admit that. Not to his face. He settled for rolling his eyes instead. “Look…I’ve no idea how it works but…stuff happened ‘an now we’re havin’ a kid. ‘Sides, there’re other people in Soul Society who’ve had babies before.”

 This was true. Most of the nobles Renji knew of…Byakuya, Kira, the Omaedas, the Shihoins…had come into Soul Society as children born to a mother and a father instead of the usual crossing over after dying in the Living World. But admittedly, these births took place years apart, sometimes _decades_ would go by before another family in the Seireitei was blessed with a brand-new addition, and the only noble Ishida was close to had been adopted into hers. He couldn’t exactly fault a merely 20 year-old human for his ignorance on the subject.

 “Right. Well.” Said human gave him a nod and went back to thumbing through his obnoxiously thick textbook. “My sincere congratulations. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an exam to study for.”

 (Renji would hold a slight grudge about this encounter until a few months later when a large box full of handmade baby clothing and supplies arrived on the doorstep.)

 At last, at a quarter past 5pm, Renji made his way up the walk to the Kurosaki’s residence.

 The sister with dark hair answered the door. “Oh, hey,” she greeted in recognition and motioned for him to come inside, “Ichi-Nii’s upstairs, wait just a sec.” Renji entered and took off his coat and shoes as she moved to the back of the house.

 “ICHI-NII IT’S FOR YOU!” she bellowed up the stairs right after he’d settled into a plush armchair.

 Ichigo’s muffled voice answered from above. “Geez, you don’t have to scream at me, Karin, I can hear you just fine. Who is it?”

 “That really tall guy with the tattoos and red hair.”

 “Oh, Renji-kun is here?” A feminine voice this time.

 “Yeah, so you two should get down here already.” Once she relayed that, Karin shuffled away and disappeared into another room.

 Renji suddenly sat up straight. It wasn’t just any feminine voice that had answered Karin, it was _Inoue’s_ voice. Which meant she was with Ichigo. In his room. Alone.

  _So that must mean…_

 He couldn’t help the triumphant grin that spread over his face as they came down the stairs together. “Yo, Ichigo! Oh, ‘an if it isn’t Inoue! Didn’t expect to see _you_ here.” Renji raised his eyebrows smugly at Ichigo.

 “Hey, that’s _my_ line.” Ichigo retorted, flopping onto the couch and shooting him a look that read as annoyance with a slight hint of _what the hell are you doing in my house right now?_

 “Ah…well…I walked Kurosaki-kun home from the train station today.” Inoue blushed and perched herself primly beside Ichigo. She glanced around. “It’s good to see you, Renji-kun! Is Rukia-san not with you?” Since she was one of the few people who knew Rukia had taken Renji’s family name she had started addressing them by their given names to avoid confusion.

 Renji shook his head. “No, Rukia’s not with me.”

 “Oh.” Inoue looked disappointed. This worked as the perfect lead-in for Renji, however.

 Sticking to his plan to make the reveal as dramatic and exciting as possible, Renji cleared his throat and leaned forward with his arms braced on his knees. “Actually,” he said in a low, solemn voice with his eyes closed, ”that’s _exactly_ the reason why I’m here today.” He lifted his head and gave them a stern look. “There’s…somethin’ I need to tell both ‘o ya.”

 Unfortunately, this plan of his backfired spectacularly. Both Ichigo and Inoue stiffened and their eyes widened simultaneously with fear. “Renji, did something happen to Rukia?” Ichigo demanded in a panicked tone while Inoue grabbed onto his sleeve and began drawing in short gasping breaths.

 “Whoa, whoa, hey, you two! Calm down! She’s fine!” Renji snapped out of the serious persona and frantically waved his hands in an attempt to diffuse the situation before they got worked up any further.

 It did the trick. They let out a sigh of relief in unison and Ichigo ran his hand through his spiky orange hair. “Damn it, Renji, don’t lead in like that!” he swore.

 With her breathing returning to normal, Inoue cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “But she’s alright? Why isn’t she here?” she asked. She was still holding on to Ichigo’s sleeve.

 Renji sat forward and tried again, this time forgoing the act. “Okay…the reason Rukia couldn’t come with me today, ‘an can’t come to the Living World for a while, is ‘cause we dunno how the journey here or bein’ in a Gigai will affect her now that…” he paused for effect, looking back and forth between their anxious faces before breaking out his proudest smile.

 “She’s pregnant. We’re havin’ a baby.”

 Much to Renji’s chagrin, the initial reaction was a little less enthusiastic than he would have liked coming from the people he and Rukia considered their closest human friends. Obviously under the assumption he was just messing with them, at first they both simply stared like they were expecting him to burst out laughing and say “ _Gotcha!_ ” the second they made any indication they believed him.

 When that didn’t happen, however, Ichigo’s eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. “Wait, _seriously_?”

 Renji puffed out his chest. “Seriously.”

 Inoue let out an excited squeal and enthusiastically clasped her hands together. “Oh, Renji-kun! That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you both!” she exclaimed. True to form, she burst into tears shortly after. 

 Renji usually didn’t like making girls cry (not that he did that often) but seeing the news had made Inoue so elated gave him a warm happy feeling. As promised, he took careful mental notes of all the details to tell Rukia later.

Ichigo regarded her fondly before turning back to Renji. “Yeah…yeah. I’m really happy for you guys, too.” He sported the same expression that appeared three years ago as Renji openly expressed his gratitude to his friend for reuniting him with Rukia. Out of all people, Ichigo probably understood most just what this child meant to them.

 Through her wet sniffling, Inoue managed to compose herself enough to ask Renji, “When is the baby coming?”

 “End of summer, right before fall. Captain Kotetsu put the due date at September 17th.”

 It didn’t take Ichigo long to do the math.* He immediately dropped the sentimental air and snorted, “Nice wedding present you got her, Renji.”

 Renji let the jab slide off with a casual shrug. “Heh. I know, right? But ya know what, enough about me ‘an Rukia.” He leaned back in the recliner and looked pointedly at the two of them. “What’s goin’ on _here_?” he asked with a sly grin and a gesture for emphasis, already knowing full well what the answer was.

 Inoue hiccupped and turned beet red. Ichigo’s utterly mortified face glared back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ishida banter is best banter and now I’m sad this is the only time he has dialogue in the story. :( As for the other characters appearing here, Urahara plays a big role at the end of the next chapter and Chad is featured in most of the final chapter.
> 
> So yes, at this point Ichigo and Orihime have been together as a couple for a few weeks and you’ll hear more about that in Part VIII.
> 
> *The 40 month due date for pregnancies is actually calculated from about two weeks before conception. If conception occurred at the end of December when I had the wedding take place this means the due date would fall in mid-September. As the son of a doctor who has most likely seen a good number of pregnant people come into the clinic I would expect Ichigo to have some knowledge of this.


	7. THE WAIT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Illness, pregnancy, sexual content, and language. [This chapter is divided into months and Month 7 is the only one with explicit nsfw content both in the text and accompanying illustration]

## MONTH 2 – “Exhausted”

By the end of the second month, Rukia was already sick of being pregnant. Both figuratively _and_ literally.

 Morning through afternoon now it seemed like she was spending half her time doubled over and waiting for her churning stomach to settle. She was absolutely _miserable_ and seeing Renji’s helpless expression every time he was forced to watch her regurgitate whatever she had just ingested was certainly not making things any easier. It was even worse when the severe nausea woke her far earlier than either of them planned to get up.

 “ _Renjiiii…_ ” she whined after unsuccessfully retching over the washbasin he held out, for the third time.

 The fingers holding back her hair shifted. “Yeah?” he asked, moving the basin closer.

 She looked at him with the most pitiful expression she had. “How much longer to go?”

 He sighed and sadly massaged the top of her head with his thumb.  “Seven months. Same as when ya asked 15 minutes ago.”

 Rukia groaned and heaved into the bowl once more.

* * *

## MONTH 3 – “Booked”

“Uh, hey, Captain, can I have a word with you?”

 Despite having not used any sort of discretion when entering her office and closing the door behind him, Captain Kotetsu was still clearly startled when he spoke. She yelped and looked up from…whatever she was mixing in a small bowl…with wide eyes but closed them and sighed in relief when she saw who it was. “Ah, yes, Lieutenant Abarai, what can I do for you?”

 “Sorry. Um…ya see, I was wonderin’ if…well, me _‘an_ Rukia were wonderin’, actually…now that the baby’s gettin’ bigger, if it’s okay for us to still, ya know…” Renji paused and cleared his throat. His face felt like it was on fire. “Do…certain _…things_?”

 She frowned, clearly puzzled by Renji’s question. “Like what?”

 “Uh… _marital_ …things. Yanno…” They were currently the only ones in her office but he still lowered his voice, just in case. “The kind that…ah… _caused_ …the baby…?”

 Finally, the captain exhaled in understanding. “Ohhhh.” She set the bowl full of unidentifiable paste on her desk and pondered this over for a moment. “Hm, I don’t see why not.”

 Renji straightened up. “Are ya sure? It won’t hurt the baby or…?”

 “Oh, certainly no! There shouldn’t be a problem.” She held a finger to her lips, thoughtful. “In fact, there may be some literature on the subject I can get you from the Living World. It’s usually a few weeks wait for books but I’m sure I can work out something earlier with Captain Yadomaru.”

 “Ah, really? That’s awesome! Er…I mean, thank you very much, Captain!” Renji graciously bowed to her several times before making a hasty retreat.

 He didn’t expect her to have that literature sent straight to the 6th Division offices, and during work hours on top of it. But it was worth it to see the captain’s eyes widen just a tick in confusion as he gingerly held up a book titled _Your Orgasmic Pregnancy_ that had been accidentally laid on his desk.

* * *

## MONTH 4 – “Cooked”

Renji stared up at her, his sock only half pulled on. “You… _what_?”

 Sighing, Rukia crossed her arms and glared at him. “You heard me. Ichigo and Inoue are coming over tonight and she offered to make dinner for all of us. I said yes.”

 The foot perched on his knee dropped to the floor with a muffled _thump_. “Why the _hell_ wouldja do that?” he asked, horrified.

 Rukia rolled her eyes and stuck her nose in the air. What he was getting so worked up over, she had absolutely no idea. “Why _wouldn’t_ I? I get tired easily and you’re staying after work for an extra hour today. It’ll be nice to have someone else cook for us for a change.”

 Her distraught husband shakily lowered his head into his hands and rubbed his temples. “Rukia,” he said slowly, “Have ya ever actually tasted _anything_ that girl’s made…? Other than cakes ‘an cookies, I mean?”

 She thought for a moment. Now that Renji mentioned it, the only Inoue-prepared foods she could recall consuming _were_ cakes and cookies. Rukia shook her head. “Well…no. But I did tell her what foods I’ve been craving recently and she promised to incorporate all of them into the meal!” she finished hopefully.

 “ _Oh my god Rukia what’ve ya done?_ ” Renji wailed in disbelief and launched himself off the bed, hands still covering his face.

 As she watched him frantically pace around their bedroom, sock flopping with every step, she realized she wasn’t so sure anymore.

 Later at dinner, however, after the first bite it quickly became clear there was absolutely nothing to worry about. The food Inoue prepared for them turned out to be some of the best she had ever tasted, and that was saying a lot considering the sort of fare she had the privilege of dining on while residing under the roof of a high-ranking noble house.

 “That was an excellent meal, Inoue! Thank you!” Rukia said enthusiastically while Inoue bustled around clearing their plates away. Inoue smiled and cheerfully thanked her, insisting it was no trouble and she was only too happy to have done it for them.

 Once Inoue was gone, Rukia immediately rounded on Renji and shot him a dirty look. “I don’t know _what_ you were so worried about,” she hissed. He huffed and sulked in response.

 Across the table, Ichigo eyed Renji’s hunched form and cocked his head. “You were worried? What for?” Renji, too busy wallowing in his disgrace, refused to reply.

 “Mmm,” Rukia folded her arms and answered instead, “he was somehow under the impression Inoue’s a terrible cook. And he was _wrong_ , wasn’t he?” A cross grunt emanated from her husband.

 Ichigo pursed his lips and waited a moment to think carefully about what he was going to say next. After a sidelong glance at his girlfriend to make sure she was out of earshot, he gave a small cough and muttered, “Well, see…he _wasn’t_ wrong about that, actually.”

 Rukia blinked. “What?” Next to her Renji instantly snapped out of his funk and raised his eyebrows smugly. She chose to ignore him.

 Ichigo tugged uncomfortably at his collar. “I mean, she _used_ to be really bad at stuff that wasn’t desserts but then…” he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Let’s just say, we owe Yuzu big time.”

 “What are you all talking about?” Inoue skipped back to the table and sat back down beside Ichigo.

 Ichigo’s pink cheeks clashed horribly with his orange hair. “Um…we were just…ah…” he looked pleadingly at Renji and Rukia for help.

 “… just sayin’ how amazed we are with your cooking!” Renji finished for him. He gave a hearty laugh and turned to Rukia. “Isn’t that right, Rukia?”

 “Oh! Yes! The food tasted _very_ good! It exceeded all our expectations!” she declared, nodding vigorously in agreement. This was technically true, after all, so she felt no guilt saying it to her dear friend.

 Unfortunately, the food tasted…not quite as good coming back up the next morning. But then again, nothing ever did.

* * *

## MONTH 5 – “Moved”

Rukia started showing at the end of the fifth month. It was odd watching someone Renji had always known to be a thin and petite thing gently swelling more with each passing day. But really, he wasn’t complaining.

 Truthfully, Renji found he was even _more_ attracted to her like this. And it wasn’t just because her breasts had become rounder and fuller until they actually lifted off her chest ( _though it’s certainly a plus_ , he thought as he slid his soapy hands over them in the bath one night). More than anything, it was a sort of spiritual connection that had nothing to do with her physical features. Well, it did, but it also didn’t. Renji couldn’t quite put it into words and he didn’t really care to.

 The times when she had work and he didn’t were the perfect excuse to recline on the couch in her office and watch her go about her tasks. He adored observing and mentally cataloguing the growing visible evidence of their love for each other, along with the little quirks she exhibited while on duty. For instance, her nose screwed up when she concentrated on her reports, like the rabbits she loved so much. She probably didn’t realize she was doing it so he never said anything. Knowing Rukia, she’d likely try and suppress this adorable tendency if he ever pointed it out, and he’d be _sorely_ disappointed if she stopped doing it.

 Also, in a chance stroke of luck, Renji’s new hobby paid off in an unexpected way during the 20th week.

 He only had a half-day so the second he was dismissed, he rushed over to the 13th Division compound with a pair of lunchboxes tucked under one arm and a plush bunny under the other. The bunny was something his 9th seat brought back from her recent assignment in the Living World because she thought the baby (and Rukia) might like it. And she was right…Renji was settled on the sofa and halfway through his lunch before Rukia finally put down the stuffed animal and opened hers.

 Rukia was just about to start on her pickled egg (oddly, she had an easier time keeping food down if it was pickled and she’d ingested so much pickling brine lately Renji was afraid the kid was going to come out completely pickled itself) when she suddenly sat up straight in her seat, frowning in bewilderment. A moment later the uneaten egg dropped and rolled across the top of her desk as she flinched again and looked down.

 “ _Renji…_ ” she whispered in a strange tone. It was hesitant and unsure. Alarmed, even. Within seconds, Renji had abandoned his position on the couch and knelt next to her chair. But before he could get in a word, Rukia lifted one finger to shush him and slowly placed her hand on her stomach. She waited. Then her eyes widened.

 Renji automatically grasped the edge of her seat. “What is it, Rukia? What’s wrong?” he asked insistently. Her silence and peculiar facials were making him grow increasingly worried.

 He didn’t expect Rukia to burst into tearful laughter.

 “ _Renji_ ,” she repeated, mesmerized, pressing her hand down harder, “I can _feel_ it. It’s _moving_.”

 “ _WHAT!?_ ” Renji (carefully) turned the chair until she faced him. He hovered close to her stomach and squinted at it. “I-is…is that _normal_?”

 Dazed, Rukia nodded. “Yes. I think so?” She gasped, presumably from feeling another movement. “Renji! You _have_ to see this!”

 With pangs of nervous excitement blooming in his stomach, he tentatively reached out and placed his hand on top of the protrusion in her abdomen where she was indicating. Unfortunately now that Daddy was involved, the baby apparently didn’t want to cooperate. Nearly five minutes passed without so much as a twitch and his calves were starting to cramp from the awkward position he’d made the mistake of stooping into when he first knelt down.

 Rukia had been watching him with rapt eagerness but now he could see the disappointment setting in. Actually, he was feeling somewhat disheartened as well and was just about to remove his hand when at last he felt it: A tiny bump pressed into the heel of his palm and traveled an inch or two before disappearing.

 “ _Rukia…_ ” Renji breathed, stunned, “ _didja…?_ ”

 “Of course I did, you idiot!” she laughed, wiping her eyes, “How could I _not_?”

 He gazed at her, awed. She was absolutely _glowing_. With happiness, love, warmth, or something else, whatever it was Renji didn’t understand. Where he was fire, Rukia was ice. _He_ was the one who burned red hot and reduced his enemies to cinder and ashes. So how was it now that she, with the power to freeze over even Hell if she so desired, was melting him down completely at that moment?

 “ _You’re so beautiful, Rukia_.”

 It came out before he could stop himself. Rukia blinked at him through her tears, speechless.

 Feeling heated, Renji quickly looked away and fiddled with his collar. “I…well…ah, sorry…that was…”

 Her hands grasped his face and pulled him to her. They were so engrossed in each other they didn’t even look up when the door banged open.

 “Excuse me, Lieutenant! I have the new rosters and-“ The footsteps that had just barged into the room skittered and went silent. “Oh! M-my apologies! I didn’t realize you were, um, well-“

 “Take care of it yourself,” Rukia interrupted, still entwined with Renji.

 “Oh, yes, of course! Again, pardon me!”

 It took a few minutes before Rukia ripped herself away, horrified. “Wait, Renji…while we were…did Sentaro…” Her eyes darted to the door and back to him.

 Renji swallowed back a laugh. “He did.”

 She paled. “And he saw…?”

 Renji nodded, clenching his lips hard to suppress his grin. “Mmhmm.”

 Rukia’s hands flew to her face but there was little they could do to hide the telltale stains of embarrassment spreading all the way from the roots of her hair to the top of her collar. It didn’t take Renji long to calm her down but there _was_ a noticeable pink tinge to her complexion for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

## MONTH 6 – “Overwhelmed”

The gifts began pouring in all at once.

 They had no idea where to put them at first, so for a few days if anyone wanted to enter or leave the house they had to gingerly maneuver around a maze of packages that had piled up near whichever door they came in through. It stayed that way until Renji nearly broke his arm tripping over a box of diapers and they finally admitted a decision needed to be made as to which room would become the designated nursery.

 That was simple enough. They had three extra rooms in the house, one of which was currently being used as their home office. The other two were both equally suitable for a child’s bedroom, but in the end they chose the one that was situated closest to their own bedroom.

 What was not so simple, however, was setting everything up and making sure it was all perfectly in order. Ever the stubborn people Renji and Rukia were, they were bound and determined to do everything themselves. But after several days of struggling through an assortment of unfamiliar tasks, it became clear: They needed help. _Badly_.

 And after many a heated discussion, they caved and opted to call in the experts whenever a problem arose.

 On this particular day, the plan was to build and arrange the furniture so they could start organization efforts as soon as possible. Sadly, this plan _rapidly_ fell apart as Renji’s efforts to build the ready-to-assemble kits Captain Yadomaru had brought over from the Living World failed miserably. So they were resigned to doing menial tasks while waiting for assistance.

 Sitting side-by-side on the floor, they began tackling the many boxes of clothing that had been provided by their human friends. Rukia had assigned Renji the job of pulling out items and removing any affixed packaging or price tags before passing them on to her. As Renji handed her each piece of clothing, she folded it and put it in its designated pile according to size and type.

 From the doorway, their helper of the day sat and watched the exchange.

 “So…whaddaya need me t’do?” Ikkaku finally asked. He crossed his arms and leaned on the doorframe.

 Renji handed Rukia a tiny pair of green footie pajamas and sullenly pointed to the pile of wooden pieces and screws in the corner he had abandoned a few hours earlier. “That.”

 “’ _That_ ’? What’s ‘ _that_ ’ supposed t‘be, exactly?” Ikkaku eyed the few pieces that had been partially (and _definitely_ incorrectly) assembled.

 Renji sighed, sadly surveying the jumbled mess of his own making. “It’s…a crib,” he mumbled quietly with his head hung low in shame.

 Rukia set aside the pajamas and gently patted his back. She would have attempted to help him but apparently assembling cribs required full range of motion and the ability to lift heavy objects, neither of which she currently possessed.

 Ikkaku wordlessly studied the pile some more. Finally, he looked directly at Renji. “That does not look like a crib,” he commented flatly.

 “I know! That’s why we asked for your help in the first place!” Renji waved his hand around in exasperation.

Still attempting to comfort her frustrated husband, Rukia glanced at Ikkaku and asked, “Is that something you can put together?”

 Ikkaku pushed himself to his feet and shuffled past towards the crib pieces. “Yeah, sure, no sweat.”

 Rukia leaned in towards Renji once Ikkaku had plopped down beside the pile and started sifting through it. “Renji, are you sure he knows what he’s doing?”

 With a huff, Renji reached back into the box of clothes and pulled out a three pack of brightly colored onesies. “Course he does. Ikkaku’s good at buildin’ things. Yanno how Lieutenant Kusajishi had those wheels on her scabbard ‘an she’d drag around it behind her?” he asked, keeping his voice down as much as possible.

 Rukia arched her brow. “Renji, in case you’ve forgotten, I was never in the 11th Division nor did I pay attention to what Lieutenant Kusajishi’s scabbard looked like.”

 “Oh, right. Well, she did. ‘An he,” Renji paused opening the package to jerk his head towards Ikkaku (now busy prying apart the shoddily constructed sections of crib), “was the one who made it for her.”

 “That was nice of him.”

 Renji snorted and shook his head. “Well…I think he only did it to shut her up. She woulda kept botherin’ him otherwise.”

 “Oi, Renji, ya got one ’o these Phillips head screwdrivers?” Ikkaku interjected. He held out the open instruction manual and pointed to one of the tools depicted on the page.

 “Oh, yeah, hang on.” Renji shoved over the toolbox that had been sitting behind him. “I think everything ya need’s in here.”

 “Ya… _think_ …” Ikkaku muttered with a roll of his eyes as he pawed through the cluttered box. He fished out what he was looking for and hunched back over the crib parts.

 “By the way, Yumichika said he’d swing by later t’see if ya need him t’do anything,” he announced after working in silence for a few minutes.

 Renji looked up from the tag he was trying to yank off a knitted beanie. “What the hell’d we need him to do?”

 Ikkaku shrugged nonchalantly. “How should I know? I’ve no idea how incompetent ya really are.” By now, one piece of the crib was fully assembled and he leaned it against the wall so he could start on the next one.

 Sensing Renji was about to lash out in some way, Rukia grabbed him by the sleeve and put on her most gracious smile. “Yes! Thank you for your assistance, Ikkaku-san!” She bowed as best she could over the swell in her abdomen and tugged Renji along with her.

 “Yeah. Thanks,” grumbled Renji, more to the floor than Ikkaku.

 Ikkaku held off his response until he had finished the next piece and set it near the first. “Hey, anythin’ fer my future sparrin’ partner.”

 “ _Future sparring partner?_ ” Rukia turned to Renji, who had slowly shut his eyes and started massaging his temples. “What is he talking about?”

 “Yeah, Renji said me ‘an the kid can fight once it’s as tall as ya.” Ikkaku smirked gleefully and it made his twisting of the screwdriver look _significantly_ more menacing. “Any kid ‘o yours’s gonna be a _beast_ on the battlefield, no way I ain’t takin’ advantage ‘o that!”

 “That…isn’t…what…I said…” Renji muttered in time with each exasperated rotation of his fingers.

 Rukia, on the other hand, was struck by a sudden bolt of inspiration. They could _definitely_ work this to their advantage.

 With a swift nod of approval, Rukia declared, “Right, of course! You better watch out, Ikkaku-san! Our child will be the strongest Shinigami in the Seireitei before you know it!” She grinned and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up when he glanced at her.

 Spurred on by her encouragement, Ikkaku happily went back to work at twice the speed of before.

 Renji gaped at her and hissed. “ _What’re you…_ ”

 “ _Indulge him, Renji. He’ll help us as long as he thinks we’ll let him fight the kid_.” Rukia hissed back through her smile.

 By the time Yumichika arrived, every last piece of furniture was complete and in its proper place.

* * *

## MONTH 7 – “Indulged”

“ _Oh, Renji…that feels so good_ ,” Rukia breathed.

 Renji grinned and softly sucked on the back of her neck. He was _very_ pleased to hear the string of moans that followed when he smoothed his hand over her backside and moved it down, reaching between her legs to cup her from behind. The futon rustled underneath as she shifted into him.

 “How’s this?” He ran one fingertip up and down her center, gently, until she parted for him. His touch sank into the familiar warmth and wetness that was only more than willing to accept it.

 “ _Mmmm…ahhhhh…_ ” Rukia couldn’t even form coherent words, only able to whimper and tightly grasp the pillow she lay on as he skillfully maneuvered her through what she needed from him. A few strokes later and she cried out, flushed and quivering from head to toe in the intensity of her climax.

 Propping himself up on one elbow, Renji happily sucked his fingers clean and savored her taste as he watched her body relax and recover from the experience. She was still turned away from him but even so reflexively pulled the corner of her pillow up to hide the deep blush she sported (while he couldn’t see her face, her ears and the back of her neck gave her away).

 “ _Don’t even_ …” her muffled voice came through.

 “Wasn’t gonna,” Renji chuckled and brushed several kisses across her raised shoulder. He knew she was embarrassed for coming so quickly, on top of _already_ being embarrassed for interrupting his sleep while trying to take care of herself after a particularly vivid dream had aroused her, in every sense of the word.

 But lately, it _really_ didn’t take much to do that.

 Due to a sudden influx of hormones, Rukia had grown nearly insatiable in her cravings for intimate physical contact, whether giving or receiving. And as her sworn lover and life partner, who _was_ partially to blame for her condition in the first place, Renji made it his mission to fulfill every desire, no matter what it was, when it was, or even where it was.

  _Like that one time…_

Renji looked up from the report he was checking over when he heard the office door swing open. “Rukia, hey!” He smiled and made to get up as she slammed and hastily locked it behind her. “This is a nice surpr-“

 “Nii-sama isn’t here?” Rukia interrupted, her tone sounding _very_ urgent. Her fingernails tapped anxiously on the handle.

 Renji froze, only half arisen but completely confused by her strange behavior. “Um, no, he’s out on assignment ‘an won’t be back til tomorrow. Why? Is there somethin’ ya-“

 “ _Good_.” Her violet eyes sparkled mischievously and she launched herself at him as fast as a nearly seven month pregnant woman could.

 It didn’t click until she had roughly pushed him back into his chair.

 “ _Rukia, have ya lost your damn mind!?_ ” Renji frantically hissed as she grasped onto his knees for support and knelt in front of him. The bump in her stomach was small enough that this wasn’t _impossible_ but it did cause her a little difficulty.

 Rukia put on a mock pout and started fumbling impatiently with the knot in his sash. “What, I can’t give my husband the afternoon blow job he deserves for working so hard?”

 Renji involuntarily perked up at the words “blow job”.  Truthfully he _did_ really deserve something nice after five hours of tediously pouring over incorrectly filled out and filed paperwork that had needed to be fixed for years. Still, he raised his eyebrows at her.

 “But…in my _office_?”

 “Yes. Right here, in your office.” The knot finally loosened. Rukia tugged down the front of his hakama and started twirling the ties of his fundoshi around her index finger, simpering like a little schoolgirl all the while. “You’ve _seriously_ never fantasized about this, _Lieutenant Abarai_?” Her half-lidded eyes fluttered their lashes teasingly at him.

 Usually Renji found it just plain weird when she got fake cutesy like that but sometimes it actually did things to him.

 Like right now, for example, he felt himself go _instantaneously_ hard from hearing her address him by his designation in that way. And even if he hadn’t fantasized about this before, _boy_ was he sure doing it with reckless abandon at that moment.

 Renji swallowed hard. Almost every excuse and reason to not do this seemed to have suddenly gone missing from his thoughts. “Uh…I…ya know I…share this place with your _brother_?”

 Rukia huffed and melodramatically crossed her arms (though he could sense a hint of actual underlying exasperation). “Abarai Renji, would you _please_ just shut up and let me suck your cock?”

 Well, he certainly couldn’t refuse when she asked like _that_.

 With a grunt of surrender, he adjusted himself in the chair and grinned at her.  “Sorry. Continue, _Mrs. Abarai_.”

 His head tipped back as her nimble fingers pushed aside the loincloth and made the first stroke. “Oh, _fuck_ , that’s good,” he groaned at the second, and completely let go by the third.

 Rukia watched his reactions with a coquettish smile once again adorning her face. “How am I doing?”

 “Fan…fuckin’… _tastic_ ,” he moaned along to the rhythm she was setting while resisting the urge to thrust up into her grip, “Ahhhh, shiiiit…”  

 “What else would you like me to do for you,” her tongue made a long, hot lick from base to tip, “ _Lieutenant_?” She hovered her lips tauntingly close to the end and brushed her fingertips over the wet trail her tongue left in its wake.

 Renji _really_ wanted to continue this because the answer was “ _LOTS of things_ ” but first he needed to take care of the singular thing that was bothering him. He sighed and grabbed her hand before it could make another pass and muddle his brain even further. “C’mon. Get up.”

 The coy expression immediately fell off Rukia’s face. Her shoulders slumped and she bit her lip, ashamed. “Renji, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-“

 He grasped under her arms and effortlessly lifted her to her feet. “Hey…I didn’t say I want to stop. I’m sayin’ you’re not doin’ this on the floor. Not in your condition”

 “Oh?” She looked puzzled but the fire in her eyes rekindled quickly.

 His chair screeched across the floor as he dragged it over to the wall. Renji pointed. “Sit, Mrs. Abarai. That’s an _order_.”

 Rukia did so and looked up at him, bemused. “This is silly, Renji.”

 “Yeah, well…” Renji bent over her and braced himself on the wall. “ _You_ started it ‘an this is me playin’ along. Take it or leave it.”

 As she rolled her eyes and leaned forward to take him in her mouth, he did have to admit that the idea of sex at work was actually sort of thrilling. And putting Rukia in that position was turning out to be very effective. With every suck and lick she made, she could simultaneously run her hands over and around his thighs and caress his backside. This was something she always did in bed whenever Renji was on top, and she knew he _thoroughly_ enjoyed it.

 “Mmmm, you’re so _firm_ , Lieutenant,” she hummed around him as she kneaded and squeezed each handful of taught muscle. The combination of so many different pleasing sensations (accentuated by the compliments on his physique) caused Renji to claw and fist at the wall.

 Then the movements of her mouth sped up and he bumped his forehead against the cool plaster with a choked gasp. “ _AHCK…keep goin’…it’s so good, like that…haaah…_ ”

  _God_ could she do the most astonishing things with her lips and tongue. Even her _teeth_ felt incredible the way she was using them. He couldn’t help reaching down and grasping a handful of her silky black hair. The vibrations from soft moan she gave in response were _worth_ it.

 “ _Rukia…I…gettin’…close_ …” he panted. Sweat beaded on his skin. He wasn’t even sure if he could stand up much longer with how badly his legs were quaking.

 Right before he came, she pulled back to the tip and wrapped her hand around to finish him off with a few firm steady pumps. Along with concentrating on suppressing the telltale surges in his spiritual pressure, Renji had to bite down hard on his lip to keep himself from shouting her name and informing the rest of the division exactly how their lieutenant and his wife were taking advantage of the captain’s absence.

 Once he’d recovered from that mind-blowing orgasm, he released his grip on Rukia’s head to sweep aside the wayward pieces of hair sticking to his face, all the while watching her greedily lick up the last drops of his fluids. “Shit, Rukia, that was _amazing_ ,” Renji huffed in awe when she sat up.

 Rukia swallowed and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth. “I’ve been waiting to do that all week, you know,” she told him proudly as she tucked him back inside his clothes and re-tied the sash,  “now come down here.” She pulled on the front of his shihakusho until he was bent over enough to kiss her, which he did with great enthusiasm. Tasting himself on her mouth always did wonders for his libido.

 “So now do I get to give my wife the afternoon fingerbang _she_ deserves for that excellent performance?” Renji growled into the kiss. His hand reflexively moved to grope one swollen breast through her clothes.

 “ _Renji!_ ” she cried out when he rolled the tender tip between his fingers, just the way he knew she liked. He could sense her reiatsu flicker and feel her breathing pick up in excitement. Rukia eagerly kissed over his jaw, down his neck and ran her hands over the winding paths inked to his chest. “Where’d you have in mind this time?”

 Renji only had to glance behind for the answer to come to him. “My desk sound good to you, _Lieutenant Kuchiki_?”

 The pleased smirk that greeted him when he turned back told him _“yes”_.

 The way she looked half naked and spread out over his desk as she gasped and moaned through her climax told him _“we should do this more often.”_

 Unfortunately, this was both the first and only time such an encounter would ever take place in his office. It could’ve been his imagination, but ever since the captain returned from his mission he seemed almost _determined_ to prevent Renji from being in the room by himself for more than a few minutes at a time.

  _Her_ office, on the hand, quickly became the favorite go-to spot for a well-deserved afternoon anything.

* * *

## MONTH 8 – “Revealed”

“It’s an ultrasound machine!”

 Rukia frowned at Urahara. “And that would be…?”

 He patted the large piece of equipment next to him. “It’s a device they use in the Living World. You press this to your stomach,” he held up a wand attached to the machine by a thick curly cord, “And you can see your baby right here!” he tapped the currently blank screen. “Of course I’ve modified it so it works on souls. Don’t worry, it’s _completely_ safe.” He flashed them a charming smile.

 At this, Rukia glanced up apprehensively at Renji, who looked back at her with equal apprehension. Numerous times during the pregnancy, they had already flat-out refused to let Captain Kurotsuchi or his assistants get anywhere near Rukia with devices he also gleefully insisted were “ _completely safe._ ” While his intentions lacked the underlying malicious drive of Kurotsuchi’s, the former 12th Division captain’s track record of inserting things into people unawares ranked him at number two after the current 12th Division captain on their least trusted persons list, even after his numerous apologies.

 “I don’t know…” Captain Kotetsu tapped a finger at the corner of her pursed lips. “We’ve never used anything like this before.”

 Urahara slapped one hand over his chest and removed his hat to sweep it grandly in front of him. “I _promise_ you, this machine is harmless. In fact, would it reassure you to know that I borrowed it directly from Isshin-san?”

 It did, actually. Ichigo’s father was a bit shifty, to say the least, in that he hid his Shinigami past from his children for over 15 years and left out the little detail of a hollow being the cause of their mother’s death. But when it came down to it, Isshin had only ever shown them kindness and support, especially where Rukia was concerned.

 After a moment of silent debate with Renji that ended in mutual concession and his small nod of encouragement, Rukia adjusted the blanket covering her bared belly with a huff and lay down completely on the uncomfortably hard exam table. “Alright. We’ll do this.” She settled her head into the stiff foam pillow and braced for the procedure she was about to face.

 “Good, then let us begin!” Replacing his hat, Urahara stepped up to Rukia’s side and produced an unidentifiable object from his coat. “Kuchiki-san, if you could uncover your stomach-“

 “What are you doing?” Rukia demanded suspiciously, immediately filled with second thoughts now that he was already introducing items not mentioned in his initial explanation. She lifted her head off the pillow and craned her neck to see what was in his hand.

 Urahara held up a large squeeze bottle filled with green gel. “Ah, this? I’m just going to rub it on your stomach so we…can…uhh…eh heh heh…” he trailed off timidly.

 Across the exam table, Renji’s eyes had started narrowing at him. A vein bulged through one of the tattoos on his neck.

 “ _Who’s doin’ what_?” Her husband’s voice was dangerously low.

 “Ah…that is…erm…” After an awkward pause, Urahara whirled around and cheerfully thrust the bottle at Captain Kotetsu. “I think _you_ should do the honors, Captain!”

 Captain Kotetsu winced at them in apology as she uncapped the bottle and squeezed out a large glob onto her fingers. After a careful examination, she sighed in relief and smiled. “It’s alright. This is nothing more than a lubricant,” she explained gently, “Now, Kuchiki, I need you to please lie back and keep still.” Sufficiently reassured, Rukia did as she was told.

 Above her, Renji was still cautiously eyeing Urahara without relent, though he turned his sight down to her when she discreetly took his hand and squeezed. The gesture was reassuring enough for both of them to relax a little and even exchange contented smiles. Nervous as this whole ordeal made them, it was still exciting to know they were going to see their child for the first time in the next few minutes.

 Rukia only flinched slightly when she felt Captain Kotetsu lift back the blanket and spread the cold slimy goo over her skin. Urahara kept his back to them while he fiddled with the knobs and buttons on the machine. The moment the captain pressed the wand to her stomach, the monitor on top of the machine hummed to life.

 “Ah, there we go!” Urahara clapped his hands together as the screen flickered on and a bunch of fuzzy grey shapes began moving across a triangular section mapped out in its center. “You’ll only need to know a few buttons, nothing too complicated. This one here…” He continued facing away while giving directions to Captain Kotetsu, though Rukia could still see a bit of his profile.

 “Now, Captain, if you could move that up just a tad, we’ll be-ohhh what’s this?“

 Urahara suddenly leaned forward and tilted his hat back to peer closely at something on the screen. After studying it a moment, a smile slowly formed. “ _Well, well…isn’t that nice,_ ” he murmured, scratching his stubbly chin thoughtfully.

 Before Rukia could ask what he was going on about, he straightened up and strutted to the door. “Everything is working just fine! I’m leaving it to you, Captain!” With a tip of his striped hat at the three of them, he was out.

 “Oh! Yes!” Captain Kotetsu fumbled with the wand and pressed the buttons Urahara had shown her. She was silent, save for the jingling of her earrings as she moved about, until the largest of the grey blobs filled the triangle onscreen. Then she sat back and said proudly, “Well…there it is!”

 “It” was…still just a large grey blob that Rukia was finding impossible to literally make heads or tails of. Frankly, she was more than impressed with the captain for being able to discern anything on that screen.

 Renji, on the other hand, saw it almost instantly and stood up straight, completely fixated on the screen. “ _That’s the baby?_ ” he whispered. He looked and sounded as though he had been punched in the gut.

 Rukia was still having difficulty seeing it. Maybe it was the viewing angle? Renji and the captain were both upright and she was flat on her back and nowhere near parallel to the screen. She lifted and twisted her head around, but not so much as to draw attention to her efforts.

 Captain Kotetsu nodded in response to Renji’s question. “And this right here…this is the profile. See the nose?” Her finger traced over the outline of one of the shapes and _finally_ Rukia could clearly see it: The image of a small round head moving about.

 She watched, transfixed, as the blurred specter displayed on the screen nodded to its impromptu audience with short jerky movements. Even its little mouth slowly opened and closed, almost like it had something to say. But then Rukia let out a soft gasp when the shape next to it stretched into a tiny hand and moved closer to the mouth; the baby was sucking on its thumb.

 Numbed as she was by this sight, Rukia was somehow able to feel Renji lower himself until his head was right next to hers.

 “Didja see that, Rukia?” His voice was thick and choked.

 Rukia nodded and her eyes welled up with moisture. She was _not_ going to let herself cry, at least she kept telling herself that. But this was proving harder and harder to stick to when each new trick their baby performed for them kept stirring up a whole new whirlwind of feelings.

 “Amazing.” Renji shook his head at the moving picture, hushed. “That’s just… _amazing_.”

 The picture itself was less than clear and to anyone else it probably appeared to be nothing special. But it was the only one they had, and would have, of their child for the next few weeks until it actually arrived. That in itself was amazing enough. His hand squeezed tightly and she squeezed it back with equal vigor.

 Renji suddenly frowned. “Wait, what’s that?” He pointed to a small dark shape fluttering near the bottom of the screen.

 Captain Kotetsu studied where he was indicating. “Mm…that is the heart, I think. And if we do this…” the captain punched another button, “we can hear it beating.”

 Seconds later, a dull whooshing sound pulsated from the machine.

 That was it for Renji. Promptly overcome by emotion, he turned away and leaned his forehead into his hand. He let out several shaky huffs in a valiant effort to calm down but even so his shoulders heaved from the silent sobs that racked his body

 Seeing Renji, a man who rarely broke down like this, attempt to compose himself ended up sending Rukia over the edge as well. The tears dripped over her temple, off her ear, and melted into the inky depths of her hair

 Captain Kotetsu turned to them poised to speak but thought the better of it when she saw the state they were in. Instead, she smiled knowingly with a sigh. “Well…I’ll give you two a moment.” Before taking the wand off and wiping down Rukia’s stomach with a towel, she pressed one last button on the machine and the image on the screen froze.

 With a soft “ _Excuse me_ ,” she left the couple alone in the room and shut the door behind her.

 Renji was there even before the latch caught and clicked shut. He placed a trek of lingering kisses on Rukia’s forehead, all across her cheeks, even down her nose. The finishing kiss to her lips was firm but sweet and she could taste the salty tears enhancing the already bold, robust flavor that was Renji.

 They kissed and kissed and kissed each other fervently until they had to break for air but, compelled by some unseen force, they found themselves unable to move apart any further. With their brows still connected by touch and blended tangles of scarlet and ebony, they turned their heads in unison to look at the still Captain Kotetsu had captured for them.

 His nose nuzzled hers. “That’s our kid, Rukia. Can ya believe it?” She felt a hand brush over the top of her head, at the same time another spread over her swollen stomach.

 “Mm.” She slid her hand over Renji’s, over the baby, and wrapped her other arm snug around his bicep. They stayed entwined together like that and silently viewed the precious image before them.

 After several minutes of basking in this serenity with him, however, Rukia could not help letting out a frustrated huff at the unfairness of it all.

 Renji’s head lifted so he could look at her properly. “What’s wrong?”

 Rukia pouted at the picture while he stroked her uncooperative piece of fringe to one side with his thumb. “It’s so cute, Renji. I want to hold it _now_.”

 The tremors from Renji’s body shook her as he let out something halfway between a sigh and a laugh.

 They were in for one more surprise when Captain Kotetsu returned and informed them that, if they so desired, she could print out physical photos of the ultrasound for them to keep or share with others. And yes, they _did_ so desire, very much. It was almost too difficult to pay attention to what the captain was telling them before they left. But really, how could they even attempt focusing on anything else while already completely enraptured by the photos clutched in their trembling hands?

 After leaving the examination room they found Urahara leaning against the wall, a dark shadow of black and green against the bright sterile white, not far down the corridor. “I trust everything went well?” he inquired, peering at them from under the brim of his hat.

 “Yes. Thank you, Urahara-san,” Rukia told him sincerely. Unconsciously, she ran her finger over the edge of the photos tucked safely in her sleeve, for the umpteenth time, just to make sure they were still there.

 “No, no, it was nothing!” He waved a hand at them and pushed off the wall. “Actually, this was all Isshin-san’s idea. He thought you might like to see her as soon as possible.”

 “Well, when ya get back to the Living World, tell him thanks for us.” The familiar weight of Renji’s arm settled across Rukia’s shoulders. “We’d do it in person ourselves, but he’d have to wait a few weeks.”

 “Ah, yes, there’s not much longer to go, is there? She’ll be here before you know it!”

 “Heh. Yeah.” Renji gave her shoulder a loving squeeze. Rukia had to bury her face into the side of his uniform shirt to hide the few tears that were still leaking out of her eyes.

 Urahara stood thoughtfully silent as he observed their interactions. “I do wish you all the best, Abarai-san, Kuchiki-san…and her, too, of course.” He nodded to Rukia’s stomach and gave them a genuine smile. With a flip of his coat, he turned to take his leave.

 It was at that precise moment the realization decided to finally hit and the couple hastily broke apart to stare at each other in shock.

 “Uh, wait! Urahara-san!” Renji called after him, though his wide eyes stayed locked with Rukia’s.

 A surprised Urahara spun back around. “Yes…?”

 “You…said ‘ _her_ ’…and ‘ _she_ ’…” Rukia said slowly, just as wide-eyed as Renji. They turned to look at him.

 Urahara froze and blinked, looking entirely dumbfounded. “Well of course! Why wouldn’t I? The baby _is_ a girl, after all,” he responded as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

 Rukia heard herself say “Ah. Yes, I see.” And she saw her arm lift up in an enthusiastic wave as Urahara departed and left them alone in the brightly lit hallway. But the pleasant goodbye was most likely an automatic reflex that had been ingrained in her from years of repeating the etiquettes required of her as a noble. It wasn’t until a minute or so later that she could properly move herself again.

  _We’re having a girl._

 Next to her, Renji began to tremble. “ _It’s a girl_?” he whispered. His voice shook in awe as he repeated this over and over again. Rukia felt the rough fabric of his armband scrape over skin and cloth as his hand fumbled around for hers so she took it and held fast. She could hardly fathom it herself.

 A girl. A little girl. _Their_ little girl.

 Suddenly the baby was more than an abstract moving form hidden behind skin and muscle. Now with this revelation, and seeing her tiny wiggling features on that monitor, she was _real_. That little girl they had yet to meet but for the first time could clearly picture for themselves.

 Their new family was now complete: A mother, a father…and a daughter.

 Renji broke his hold on her hand. Kneeling down in front of her, he leaned forward and curved his massive hands over her abdomen. “Hey there, baby girl! It’s Daddy!” he said happily to the child inside, “And look, Mommy’s here, too!“ He looked up at her expectantly.

 Rukia felt a bit foolish speaking to her stomach at first but she was loath to burst the bubble of Renji’s enthusiasm and humored him anyways. “Um, hello…baby girl. This is Mommy. Daddy and I are looking forward to seeing you soon. But not _too_ soon. Stay in there until you’re ready. Got that? Ah…we love you…” Then, figuring she might as well go completely for broke while she was at it, she tried out loud, for the first time, something she had been secretly mulling over for the last few weeks “… _Ichika_.”

 Renji started and stared at her, confused. “Wait…what?”

 “I’ve been thinking…” Rukia put her hands on top of his, in her mind flashes of their wedding day played out and one brilliant white object stood out brighter and more clearly than anything else. “If the baby turned out to be a girl… _Ichika_ might be a nice name.” She watched him anxiously, hopefully.

 For a while, Renji merely frowned and concentrated hard on her stomach. Then, to her utter happiness, a slow smile spread across his face.

 “ _Ichika_ ,” he murmured softly, and when he nodded in agreement, she knew he understood. “ _Ichika_ …it’s _perfect_ , Rukia.” He laughed and stood back up to kiss her brow. She felt his grin against her forehead. “ _Our little Ichika_.”

  _Abarai Ichika._ It really did have a nice ring to it.

 There was a very real possibility the information Urahara had divulged to them, that the child Lieutenants Abarai and Kuchiki were welcoming soon was a girl, would be old news by midday next. And so they made no effort to hide it, both letting the gossip spread on its own accord and helping it along themselves. By nightfall they had spent several hours basking in the subsequent surge of congratulations and excitement, as well as several eager requests from Rangiku to _pretty_ _please_ let her babysit for them (the answer each time was a resounding _absolutely not_ ). But her name, the one and only sharable detail of their married life thus far that would actually come as a complete surprise to everyone they told, was to remain a well-guarded secret until she was born before being announced to all of their friends and acquaintances.

 There was _one_ exception, of course.

 “I understand the two of you met with Captain Kotetsu today. Things are going well, I trust?” Byakuya neatly stirred his soup without looking at either of them, par for the course during their occasional family dinners at the Kuchiki mansion. Out of the corner of her eye, Rukia could see the valets and waiters lined up at the wall lean forward in interest.

 “Yes, Nii-sama.” Rukia glanced at Renji (still gazing tenderly at her just as he had been ever since they left the exam that afternoon) and then at the eagerly waiting staff. Turning back to her brother just as he raised his spoon to his lips, she beamed and told him, “We’re happy to say…your niece, Ichika, and I are doing just fine. Would you like to see a picture of her?” She produced the thin stack of photos from her sleeve and held it out to him.

 That was the closest anyone in the room had ever seen Kuchiki Byakuya come to dropping what he was holding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the biggest challenge due to the visual boundaries I had to stay within (hopefully most of you picked up on this!) and my favorite of all the Renji/Rukia narrated chapters.
> 
> With Month 6 I finally got to slip in a silly illustration just like I’ve been wanting to since the beginning. XD
> 
> Month 8 actually made me cry while I was writing the hallway scene and I had to take a few breaks to compose myself. That…doesn’t happen very often. lol I’m not big on the whole gender reveal nonsense in real life but here it was used as more of a way to give the baby an identity as a real and true living being for Renji and Rukia before it was born as opposed to dictating what color to dress it in (gag).
> 
> The next chapter will be the final chapter of this story and I had so much fun writing it. Whereas I tried to keep a more mature air to the narration in the R+R chapters (especially with Rukia) Ichigo’s POV is just all-out sarcasm and anything goes. It was my absolute favorite chapter to write in this entire story and I’m super excited to share it with you all so get ready for plenty of IchiHime fluff and goofy new parent RenRuki coming your way! :3


	8. THE DELIVERY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Pregnancy, medical things, and mild suggestive content. [This chapter is sfw.]

When Renji and Rukia’s daughter finally arrived, she was late.

 As in, “ _half a week past her due date_ ” late.

 And because everyone involved was under the _reasonable_ assumption that she would come before or on the projected day given by Captain Kotetsu, this unexpected delay of events selfishly interrupted the lives of people who had already organized their schedules for after said day. It was already highly inconvenient for those who resided in Soul Society, but it was even more so for the ones living on an entirely different plane of existence.

 Typical. Only her first day of life and she was already throwing baby-sized wrenches into Ichigo’s plans. Just what he’d expect from something spawned by those two.

 They were important plans, too. He was supposed to be treating Orihime, his girlfriend of eight months now, to a date that included a morning walk in her favorite park, lunch at a new restaurant downtown, and a movie of her choice; His intended birthday gift to her. Since he was swamped with classes during her actual birthday on the 3rd of September and had several major assignments due in the weeks following, he had worked _extra_ hard to make sure this day, the 23 rd of September, would be free of conflicts and he could devote all his time and attention to her. After all, Ichigo knew these were the things she treasured from him more than anything else and he would walk the world over to give them to her. Twice.

 When he thought about it, that’s what he loved most about Orihime.

 They had been together as a couple since mid January, though he had definitely harbored a crush long before that, and her even longer still. Ichigo had to reluctantly admit: If Renji hadn’t decided to play matchmaker (at his own wedding, no less) and figuratively thrown Orihime into his arms (which, ironically, Ichigo had _literally_ done to him with the woman he had just married), he might not have ever found the courage to act on his feelings. He was happy enough being around her even just as her friend, and he didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize their relationship or make her uncomfortable. All he wanted was to see her happy and safe.

 Even though Renji had given him the perfect opportunity, he still couldn’t bring himself to confess to her at the wedding and instead asked that she make time for him so they could discuss something important. It had taken almost two weeks to find that time when both of them could sit down and properly talk, but they put in the effort to make it work. It meant they had to quite literally meet up during work hours while she was on break, but at that point Ichigo didn’t even care anymore. He just needed to come clean to her _somehow_.

 When he was finally able to look her in the eye over a platter of fruit tarts and quietly tell her, “ _Inoue…this may be selfish of me but I need you to know my feelings. For you. I like you a lot as a friend. And I think…I might also like you as something more,_ ” Ichigo definitely didn’t expect her to break down and give him a confession of her own in return.

 Her feelings, as it turned out, were the same as his. Though she deeply desired more, all she ever wanted and expected from him was his company and loyal friendship, if it meant he could be happy.

 Ichigo ended up waiting around until her shift was over and walking her back to her apartment where they drank tea and ate more sweets and stayed up talking well past midnight. It was almost 1am when he finally arrived home and was promptly submerged in a tidal wave of nosy questions from his prying family. That was probably why he held off until April to _officially_ tell them he and Inoue (he would soon start calling her Orihime after that) were dating.

 Funnily enough, they’d actually already deduced it for themselves from the amount of time she spent at their house, not to mention alone with him in his room.

 September rolled around and he and Orihime were better than ever…still close and growing closer, still enjoying spending time with each other, still determined to make the other as happy as they could possibly be. The only dynamic that had truly and drastically changed between them was…well…in a _physical proximity_ sense.

 And speaking of which, in the days leading up to their date Ichigo found himself secretly hoping that she’d pick a boring and easily ignored biopic or something lame like that so they could sit in the back of the theater and find a better way to pass the time.

 That morning had gotten off to a good start. After getting up early enough to take the first shower (allowing him as much hot water as he wanted) and gulping down a quick breakfast, he zipped himself into a jacket appropriate for the brisk autumn air and set off to meet Orihime at the park to kick off their walk-lunch-movie date. It was approximately 10:46 am, 20 minutes into the “walk” part, when both their phones buzzed and lit up with identical text messages:

 GET READY!!! BABY COMING SOON!!!

 At Orihime’s insistence, Ichigo reluctantly agreed to set aside their plans for another day so they could wait on standby for any further updates on the baby’s progress from Renji (as they had promised and intended to do when she was _supposed_ to be born, _four days ago_ ). Bare minimum decent as it was, if it could reassure Renji and Rukia to know they were only a text or call away should something drastic happen, then all the better. It wasn’t like there was anything they could _actually_ help with since this was all going down in Soul Society and they were…not in Soul Society.

 After two and a half hours of sitting on his bed and twiddling their fingers to radio silence, the message they’d been anticipating finally arrived:

 SHE’S HERE!!!

 This one was accompanied by a photo of a sweaty and exhausted-looking Rukia lying on a hospital bed and giving the camera a weary, but noticeably happy, thumbs-up.

After studying the photo, they remarked to each other with some amusement that considering the wording of the message it would have made more sense for Renji to send a picture of the baby instead of Rukia. But as his next message informed them, they had already been given priority clearance to come to Soul Society right away so they would see her for themselves very soon.

 3:55pm, they all stood in the street just outside of Ichigo’s house waiting for the gates to appear so they could cross over: Himself, Orihime, and Chad.

 Next to him, Orihime fidgeted and wrung her hands excitedly. And next to her, Chad loomed over, tall and massive as ever. Ichigo swore he got bigger every time they met up. He was training practically every day, though, (and had even shown up straight from the gym still in his workout gear) so it actually might not have been his imagination.

 A light breeze blew a small flock of leaves past them and ruffled his hair. Sighing, Ichigo took one hand out of his pocket to brush it back in place somewhat awkwardly. It was weird not feeling the long strands he was used to having since he was a kid; He had recently cut his hair short on a whim and had yet to grow accustomed to the new style.

 Actually, that was a lie…he cut it because Orihime had mentioned a few times in passing that she thought a short haircut would look good on him and he’d finally given in to curiosity. Thankfully, it turned out she’d been right. It made him look his age, maybe even older.

 Not to mention, it was worth seeing the look on her face when he showed up on her doorstep unannounced to show it off.  He really liked making her blush and smile like that.

 “Hm. This feels a little strange,” Chad suddenly remarked.

 Ichigo dropped his hand and jammed it back into his jacket pocket. “I know. Hard to imagine those two idiots with a kid isn’t it?”

 Chad shook his dark curls. “No. I mean us going to Soul Society like this without Ishida.”

 “Oh. Right.” Ichigo shrugged. “He said he was fine with it. You know how busy he’s been recently.”

 “Still, it _is_ sad.” Orihime tucked a strand of hair behind her ear wistfully. Her blue flower hairpin flashed brightly in its disturbance. “We don’t get to see him much anymore. I hope this doesn’t mean-”

 Ichigo let out a defiant huff before she could finish. “That doesn’t matter, does it? Ishida’s still our friend. We’ve been through things together, we still have those bonds and share the same feelings. That’s not going to change, even if we don’t see him as often as we want to.” He then noticed the other two smiling strangely at him. “What…?”

 Chad smirked and Orihime let out one of her musical laughs. “Nothing,” they replied simultaneously.

 Ichigo sighed. He adored his girlfriend and his best friend dearly but sometimes he just didn’t _get_ them.

 At 4pm right on the dot, they felt the telltale spike of energy and shift in the wind that heralded the appearance of the Senkaimon. Seconds later, it materialized in front of them. The doors slid smoothly open to reveal the dark dank passageway of the Dangai, and its lone occupant.

 “Kurosaki Ichigo. Inoue Orihime. Sado Yasutora.” A familiar cool masculine voice addressed each in turn. Three hell butterflies fluttered out to meet them and circled impatiently around their heads as if to say “ _Hurry up! Get moving!”_

 Ichigo gestured in greeting to the approaching figure with his hand still inside his jacket. “Yo, Byakuya! Congratulations!”

 “Rukia and Renji had the child, not I.” Byakuya eyed him with blatant disapproval for his supposed mistake. Although, that wasn’t saying much since the man always gave off the impression that his sole purpose in life was to bestow unforgiving judgment on everyone around him.

 Stepping through the doorway with the others, Ichigo shrugged. “Yeah, but you’re an uncle now, that’s something we still congratulate people for.” The doors clanged shut behind them and he fell into step next to the captain. “So, congrats, Uncle Byakuya! How does it feel to have a new niece?”

 “Oh. Yes. Good, I suppose.” Byakuya closed his eyes and turned away with a curt nod. “Thank you,” he added hastily.

 Ichigo smirked to himself. There were things even the great Kuchiki Byakuya wasn’t immune to and getting caught off guard by his own emotions was one of them.

 Of course, now that Byakuya had clammed completely shut, that was the extent of this discussion. For almost the rest of the way the four of them walked the bumpy, oozing tunnel to Soul Society in awkward silence, their butterflies flapping out little halo-like paths over their heads. It wasn’t until they caught sight of the bright light streaming in at the end of the channel that it was abruptly lifted.

 “Byakuya-san?”

 He looked slightly taken aback at being addressed after such a lengthy pause in conversation but he indulged Orihime anyways. “Yes?” he answered in a stern, clipped voice as if he was attempting to discourage any small talk in a very roundabout way.

 However, he’d apparently forgotten this was Orihime he was talking to and being Orihime, she wouldn’t be deterred by something like that. She pressed on shyly. “Um…have you seen her yet? The baby?”

 “…I have.”

 With that bit of knowledge, she gained new confidence and perked up considerably. “Really? What’s she like?” Orihime asked him eagerly.

 Byakuya glanced at her for a split second before replying with some reluctance, “Very small.”

 This was not surprising information. Not counting children, out of their entire group of acquaintances (Shinigami _or_ human) Rukia stood the shortest at less than 4’9” tall. On top of that, she was incredibly slender and it was pretty much a given any baby that grew inside her would reflect this, plus the bump in her stomach did not end up being very big in the end. So knowing that, what Byakuya gave them wasn’t exactly _useful_ information, either.

 When Orihime continued looking at him expectantly, he sighed in defeat and went on, “But she is healthy. She has Rukia’s eyes. And a full head of hair. _Renji’s_ hair,” he added begrudgingly as if this was somehow Renji’s fault.

 Unprompted this time, he paused and took a breath.

 “You will not be disappointed. She is…adorable.”

 Ichigo raised his eyebrows. Was that a smile on Byakuya’s face, or was he imagining things? And the measured steps he was taking…had they suddenly become lighter? Unsure, he looked over at Chad, who shared his sentiments with a silent shrug.

 Byakuya only accompanied them as far as the gate, immediately excusing himself and shunpo’ing away the second he stepped foot onto the ground and his hell butterfly detached from his aura. Something told Ichigo this was his way of dealing with the embarrassment of letting so much emotion towards his newborn niece slip out in front of them.

 Well, it made him seem more human at least. Or…soul.

 The 4th Division’s main medical building (where Byakuya had been decent enough to direct them before darting away) wasn’t busy at all that day. In fact until they walked through the doors, the entire reception area was completely deserted save for one person seated at the first aid station nearby. The poor thing was swaying back and forth on his stool with the glazed over look of someone who’d been stuck in one spot with nothing to do for hours.

 “Hey, Hanataro!” Ichigo recognized who it was and waved. “D’you know where Rukia’s room is?”

 The zoned-out Shinigami yelped and shot several feet off his stool from shock. Displaying remarkable recovery time for someone so lethargic, he snapped back quick as a whip, standing straight at attention and braced for the impending reprimand for slacking at his post. When he saw it was only Ichigo and co. he immediately relaxed his posture and put on a relieved smile. “Oh, hi, everyone! Um, yes, it’s just down this hallway. Follow me.” He motioned for them to accompany him down the closest corridor and they followed his lead.

 As they walked, Hanataro looked at each of them and asked eagerly, “Are you here to see the baby?”

 “Yes!” Orihime nodded, excited, and moved closer to him. “Have you met her yet, Hanataro-kun?”

 Hanataro blushed rather furiously at this question. “Ah…well…you _could_ say I was one of the first people she met,” he laughed nervously and fiddled with the strap of his backpack.

 Chad slowed pace and tilted his head. “You _…_ delivered her?”

 Thoroughly appalled by this suggestion, Hanataro vigorously shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. “Oh…no… _no_ , I wouldn’t even trust myself to do that! Captain Kotetsu was the one who delivered her. But the lieutenant and I checked her over and took measurements right after she was born!” He paused with one finger in the air and mouth slightly agape. After thinking hard for a moment, he scratched his chin sheepishly. “Um…I forgot what they were. I was sent away once I did that.”

 “That’s okay. We’ll…get them from Renji or something,” Ichigo assured, knowing full well they would completely forget by the time they actually got to him.

 “Right…ah…I’m sorry, but I do have to get back to my work. Her room’s right there.” After pointing it out, he waved and hurried back down the hall to his station. The others continued on.

 Up ahead there was a flash of red and Renji popped forth from the room Hanataro had singled out. When he spotted the approaching trio, his face immediately lit up and he waved at them with all the enthusiasm of a puppy bounding over to say hello to its favorite human. They had seen Renji get worked up when he was feeling strong emotions many times before, but never like this. Right now he looked positively _giddy_ with elation.

 “Ichigo! Inoue! Sado!” His loud booming voice echoed down the hall and practically knocked them down with its intensity. “Gladja could make it!”

 A passing orderly carrying a tray full of surgical supplies and bandages winced. “Excuse me, Lieutenant Abarai…I understand this is a happy occasion but I must ask that you _please_ keep your voice down. There are recovering patients on this floor,” he insisted, balancing the tray with one hand and gingerly rubbing the ear closest to Renji with the other.

 Wide-eyed, Renji shrank back and rubbed the back of his head guiltily as the orderly continued on his way. “Ah…right. Sorry.”

 “Yo, Renji,” Ichigo greeted once they reached him, “everything good? How’s Rukia?”

 Renji dropped his hand and grinned broadly with a sing-song voice, “Come ‘an see for yourselves!” He whirled around in a flurry of ponytail and shihakusho and proceeded to prance back into the room with an overly accentuated bounce in his step.

 Ichigo glanced at Orihime, who looked back at him and giggled under her breath. He had to agree with her; Renji _was_ acting a little silly, even for him. Any other day and Ichigo would have given him grief for it. But considering the circumstances he supposed he could let this one instance slide. After all, the guy _did_ just witness the birth of his first child, he had every right be stupidly happy about that.

 And come to think of it…that goofy demeanor sort of reminded him of his own father. Maybe it was a Shinigami dad thing? Ichigo hoped it wasn’t contagious. Or hereditary.

 “Rukia! They’re here!” Renji announced in a raised whisper when the three of them followed his lead through the door.

 From the bed in the center of the room, Rukia rolled her heavily lidded eyes. “I heard you the first time, Renji.” But she smiled warmly at her friends in greeting as they filed in and lined up at the end of her bed, right in front of the small table where various gifts and flower baskets had begun to accumulate.

 Then the bundle in her arms stirred and gave a tiny squawk of a cry.

 “Shhh…it’s okay.” Rukia gazed down and crooned in a soft tone Ichigo had never heard her use before as she tenderly rocked it. “You have some visitors, sweetie. Do you want to meet them? They want to meet _you_.” She spoke every syllable so slowly and deliberately he started wondering what the hell kind of drugs they were giving her to make her talk like that. And use a very un-Rukia-like word like “sweetie”.

 Perched on a chair drawn up beside the bed, Renji watched them with a joyfully pained expression, like he was on the verge of crying any second. He even gave a minute sniff and drew his sleeve across his eyes.

  _Good grief_ , Ichigo thought to himself. Renji was blubbering so badly it was starting to remind him of Orihime. Which, of course, was perfectly fine when it was Orihime, but Renji displaying that type of disposition was just plain bizarre.

 Rukia suddenly looked up and frowned at the three of them. “What are you standing there for? Get over here and say hi to her. She’s a baby, not a virus,” she scolded. _That_ sounded much more like the Rukia they knew; Raking them over the coals for something as trivial as their failure to properly greet her hours-old child who understood approximately zero words of spoken language.

 Unsurprisingly, Orihime made the first move. Nervously jittering from hairpin to boot tip in her mix of excitement and apprehension, she shuffled around and sat on the bed next to Rukia. But when she looked down at the bundle, her hands flew up to her face and the timid look underneath gave way to one of pure joy.

 “Ohhh…Rukia-san…Renji-kun,” Orihime gasped softly, “She’s _beautiful_.” She glanced between Renji and Rukia with a hopeful expression. “Um, may I…is it alright if…”

 “Would you like to hold her, Inoue?” Rukia prompted, giving her a gentle smile.

 “Yes! Please!” Orihime beamed and held out her arms.

 Carefully, under Renji’s contented observation, Rukia handed their daughter over to Orihime. “Be sure to support her head,” she instructed, “There you go, Inoue. That’s it.”

 The second Rukia had placed the baby in Orihime’s arms, something magical occurred.

 His girlfriend’s face blossomed into the most radiant smile Ichigo had ever seen and suddenly it was as if everything warm and soft about her had multiplied exponentially. As he watched, awestruck, she settled the baby in the cradle of her embrace so smoothly and delicately it looked like she’d been holding children all her life. Perfectly at ease with playing the role of this child’s caretaker, she almost looked more natural and motherly holding it than Rukia, the _actual_ mother.

 On second thought…that one could’ve been his own bias talking. There was a strong possibility being kicked in the face one too many times by Rukia may have severely damaged his ability to view her as “motherly” in any way.

 When Orihime looked up at him, even her eyes were shining.

 “ _Ichigo-kun…Sado-kun,_ ” she whispered tearfully and held out the blanket for the boys to see, making sure she was still supporting in all the right places. They both moved over and peered at the sleeping baby swaddled within.

 Byakuya wasn’t kidding…she really did have a full head of hair and it was the _exact_ shade of crimson as her father’s. It almost looked like someone had cut off the end of Renji’s ponytail and glued it onto his daughter as a wig. Thankfully the rosy color dusting her chubby cheeks and delicate button nose wasn’t nearly as bright, or the effect might have made her resemble a miniature circus clown. Thin rows of dark fluffy lashes lay shut over each eye, occasionally twitching in her state of peaceful slumber, and the more Ichigo looked the more her features fluctuated between each parent. Everything about her was a perfect combination of both, though the way her nose crinkled daintily as she stirred and parted her lips with a barely audible whimper was definitely _all_ Rukia.

 A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed it back to look at Rukia and Renji. “That’s amazing. She really looks like you guys,” was all he could think to say.

 Rukia rolled her eyes. “Well _duh_.” Despite her tone, the small smile she wore gave away how much she genuinely appreciated his comment.

 Chad leaned over and cautiously pulled back the blanket with one thick finger to get a better look. “Does she have a name yet?” he asked Rukia in his deep melodic voice.

 Rukia opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Renji frantically leaping to his feet. “Oi! Of course we gave her a name! It’s Ichika! Abarai Ichika!” he insisted. He sounded _highly_ insulted, like Chad had just accused him of being a terrible father for leaving his newborn child nameless. Which Ichigo knew he hadn’t, but again…Renji was having a very unusual day today, he could let it slide.

 Chad seemed to share his thoughts. “Right. I see. Sorry for being presumptuous, Abarai.” He nodded sincerely and let the blanket fall back into place, at the same time Renji sat down again while muttering, “ _Damn well should be…_ ” under his breath.

 Orihime paid no mind to the exchange and lit up at Rukia. “Ichika? Oh! What a lovely name! Like the flower, right?”

 Renji’s jubilant demeanor promptly returned. “Right! Exactly! _Thank you_ , Inoue!” he commended her while haughtily raising one tattooed eyebrow at Chad as if to say “ _Why can’t you be like her?_ ” Chad wisely ignored this.

 “We thought…since you all embroidered strawberry flowers on my wedding veil, well…” Rukia smiled fondly and looked down at her lap. “It just seemed appropriate. Both the meaning of the flower, and in honor of all you’ve done for us.” Beside her, Renji nodded proudly.

 To the surprise of no one, Orihime’s waterworks were going full blast now.

 “Well, that makes sense,” Ichigo laughed and scratched his head, “But for a second there I thought you named her after _me_.”

 The bed creaked and Renji and Rukia both looked around at him with identical disbelieving stares. “Why the _hell_ would we do that?” Renji asked incredulously.

 Ichigo stared back, feeling one eyebrow start to twitch. “Because people name their kids after friends all the time! And what’s wrong with naming a kid after me?” he asked, annoyed.

 “Not _my_ kid!” Renji shot back. “You can go ‘an name your own kid after yourself.”

 “Maybe I will!”

 The argument didn’t get any further than this because right then Ichika decided it was the _perfect_ moment to interrupt them with a grumpy whine and squirm awake in Orihime’s arms. All attentions drew back to her as her little balled fists broke free from the blanket with a jerky stretch and she gave the biggest yawn her small toothless mouth could muster. When her large round eyes fluttered open Ichigo saw that, once again, Byakuya was right: They were the same deep indigo violet as Rukia’s.

 The tears stopped flowing and Orihime blinked down at the infant. “Hello, Ichika-chan.” she said softly.

 Ichika blinked right back at Orihime and attempted to stare at her. It was a valiant effort, but with how blank and unfocused her eyes remained no matter where she moved them it was more like she was aiming her pupils in a general upward direction than actually _staring_. Then she frowned and wriggled a little as if she was checking for something. When she finally seemed to realize the person holding her was _not_ one of her parents, Ichika’s tiny face suddenly screwed up and she began to wail. _Loudly._

 Caught off guard and not entirely sure what to do, Orihime stiffened. Her large brown eyes darted wildly from side to side.

 “Um…there, there. Shhhhh. It’s okay, Ichika-chan,” she whispered and tried rocking her the way she’d seen Rukia do it earlier. From what Ichigo could tell it was a perfect imitation yet it didn’t seem to do anything. Ichika’s piercing screeches continued ringing out, to the dismay of everyone’s eardrums.

 Renji sprang out of the chair and practically vaulted over the bed to get to the screaming baby. Shoving Ichigo and Chad aside (with a _little_ more roughness than called for), he scooped her out of Orihime’s arms and started parading around the room with some kind of weird skipping trot to his gait. “Oi, Ichika! Hey, hey, what’s wrong? Daddy’s here! See? You’re fine!” he chanted with gusto as he rocked her.

 To everyone’s astonishment, Ichika went silent almost _immediately_.

 Trying to wrap his brain around what he was witnessing as Renji gamboled back and forth, Ichigo raised one eyebrow and looked at Rukia. She shrugged and crossed her arms with a languid shake of her head. “She likes it when he does that. We have no idea why, but it’s the only thing that’ll get her to stop crying.”

 “Ah.” Ichigo felt it best not to ask how they found that out in only a few hours.

 “Uh, Rukia, I think she’s actually hungry now.” Renji had finished his little cantering routine and returned to his spot beside the bed. Now that he was completely still, they could see how comically massive Renji was compared to his daughter…she was small enough for her tiny body to fit comfortably in one of his hands. ( _Three for three, Uncle Byakuya_ )

 “Is she? _Finally_. Give her here.” Rukia held out her arms and began talking in her weird high-pitched mush-mouth speech again once she had ahold of Ichika, “Are you hungry, Ichika? Do you want to eat? Okay. Let’s get you fed.” With Ichika tucked securely in the crook of one elbow she reached for her collar but hesitated when she noticed Ichigo and Chad were still watching. Her face reddened. “D-do you mind?” she stammered, refusing to look either one in the eye.

 They hastily whipped around.

 “Oi, Rukia, do you have to do that _now_?” Ichigo’s cheeks burned, out of the corner of his vision he could see Chad’s visible eye widen as he shifted his weight. “Can’t you hold off until-”

 “My child is hungry _now_ so I am feeding her _now_ , you imbecile!” came her irate (normal) voice from behind them, “If you have a problem with it, you are more than welcome to leave!”

 After a moment’s hesitation, Ichigo stiffly shook his head and Chad muttered, “No…no problem.”

 “S’alright. You can turn around now.” Renji sounded like he was trying very hard to restrain himself from laughing.

 When they did so Ichigo was thankful to discover that Renji, despite his overt amusement with the situation, had thoughtfully planted himself on the bed between them and Rukia to act as a sort of living privacy screen. He leaned forward with one arm on his knees and gave Ichigo an incredulous look. “What, you’re not used to it by now?”

 “No, I’m not! Everyone who’s ever given birth in the clinic went straight to the hospital after.”

 “I ain’t talkin’ about _that_ , ya dumbass.” Renji rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. “You’ve seen Inoue in less, right? So how’s _this_ ,” he jerked his thumb back at Rukia, “botherin’ ya?”

 “Well, yeah, but…I MEAN-” Ichigo clamped his mouth shut and mentally cursed himself. Renji wasn’t supposed to be aware of that little detail about his and Orihime’s relationship. In fact, seeing as it had only happened a few times so far and they’d agreed to keep it between the two of them for the present, he had no idea how _anyone_ would manage to figure it out for themselves…and judging by the genuinely surprised look he was giving him, even Chad had been completely oblivious until that moment. The only possible way Renji could know was if he’d said something that gave it away it in casual conversation without realizing. Either that or Renji was more observant than he’d been giving him credit for all these years.

 Attempting to shrug off his massive slip-up, Ichigo closed his eyes for a few moments and calmly replied, “In case you haven’t noticed, _she’s_ not my girlfriend. I don’t want to see any part of _her_ I don’t have to.”

 “Well, I’ll give ya credit for bein’ faithful.” Renji lolled his head around slightly to address Orihime, who was still far too busy fawning over the baby to pay attention to him, “Ya got lucky, Inoue. Mosta the guys I know would-“

 “Would you leave Orihime out of this already? She doesn’t deserve to be lumped in with any of your dirty nonsense!” Ichigo snapped, protective instincts kicking into overdrive now that Orihime had been directly involved.

 Sensing this, Renji snorted and held up his hands in mock surrender. “Whatever ya say.” Orihime looked up and blinked at both of them in confusion.

 “Ichigo!” exclaimed Rukia suddenly, most of her still hidden from view behind Renji, “What did you do to your hair?”

 He knew she couldn’t see his eyes but that didn’t stop Ichigo from rolling them anyway. “What, you _just_ noticed that?”

 “I’ve been a bit preoccupied by other things today, or did you not notice _that_?” she answered dryly.

 Orihime smiled eagerly at Rukia. “It looks nice, doesn’t it?”

 Rukia was noticeably silent before she answered haltingly, “Uh…sure, I guess.”

 Seeing Orihime’s face fall slightly at Rukia’s not-so-enthusiastic response, Ichigo reassured her with a nonchalant wave of his hand, “Eh, don’t bother asking her opinion on this one, Orihime. She _clearly_ prefers long hair on guys.” He looked pointedly at Renji.

 “Damn straight she does,” Renji smirked proudly with a flourished twirl to his waist-length scarlet mane.

 “N-not true! You just… _happen_ to have long hair. That’s all!” Rukia argued back hastily.

 Even though she was fooling absolutely no one with that transparent claim, Renji still found it necessary to lean his head back at her and drawl wryly, “Oho? Then why’d I remember ya sayin’ somethin’ ‘bout my hair ‘an new uniform makin’ me _irresistible_ the night we-“

 “ _RENJI!_ ” Rukia snapped at him in warning, sounding _far_ too frantic for someone claiming they never thought or said anything of the sort.

 He heeded her admonition and said no more about “that night” but since she couldn’t see him, Renji glanced at each human in turn and smugly mouthed, “ _She loves it,_ ” while gesturing to his hair.

 A croaked gurgle sounded from Ichika and signaled feeding time was over. Renji turned and took her from Rukia while she put her clothing back into place. This time, Ichigo and Chad respectfully averted their gazes to the ceiling until a soft cough from Orihime signaled it was safe to look back.

 They watched with some fascination as Renji slung a small blue towel Rukia handed him over his shoulder and started gently patting Ichika on the back when he had her settled upright against it. Though “tapping” was a more accurate way of describing it since he could only fit two of his fingers on her tiny back.

 For anyone who had fought alongside Renji in battle (or fought him directly), this was a strange sight…the same guy they’d witnessed punch through walls and chuck his enemies almost a football field away with those massive powerful hands of his, now using them to handle this delicate little baby as softly as if she were made of spun sugar.

 Ichigo didn’t realize he was staring until Renji looked at him strangely and grunted, “What?” Shortly after, Ichika let out a quiet burp.

 “Nothing. You just…actually look like a dad right now,” he admitted with a casual shrug. Renji raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ichigo could tell he was putting on a face as blankly dull as he could make, however when he laid Ichika over his arm to re-adjust her wrappings and gently brushed his hand over her wispy red hair he was no longer able to hold back the proud smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

 As if this suddenly jogged her memory, Orihime gasped and jumped up off the bed. “Oh! Renji-kun, could you bring her here and sit next to Rukia-san? I promised Ishida-kun I’d send pictures since he couldn’t come.” She produced her phone from her jacket pocket and backed away several paces.

 Nodding cheerfully, Renji took her vacant spot and reached around Rukia to pull her close until he had both his girls securely gathered up into one big family cuddle. Startled and visibly annoyed by Renji’s spontaneous act of physical affection (in front of their friends, no less) Rukia immediately whipped her head up and tried to shoot him a Look. One tender smile and a loving squeeze to her elbow from him, however, and she was soon quietly snuggled into the embrace, even relenting enough to lay her head on his chest. Ichika proceeded to fall back asleep in the warm nest of her parents’ entwined arms.

 While Orihime held up her phone and told them to say a bunch of nonsense words before taking the picture, Chad leaned over to Ichigo with a low hum and commented, “They’re a good looking family, huh?”

 “Yeah.” Ichigo nodded and watched Orihime snap multiple shots. “They really are, I gotta admit.”

 Chad regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. “I wonder…” he paused and glanced over at Orihime, sitting happily with Renji and Rukia as the three of them admired the batch of photos she’d just taken.

 Ichigo eyed him suspiciously. “…What?”

 Chad smiled and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Oh, nothing.”

 Ichigo knew his friend well enough to recognize that type of smile meant it actually _wasn’t_ nothing, but he was prevented from calling him out on it by the boisterous arrival of a group of all-too-familiar Shinigami. After dodging several tipsy greetings (and discreetly questioning why the hell so many of them were that drunk this early), the three human visitors decided it would be best to take their leave.

 To be more precise, two of the human visitors decided it would be best to take their leave while working to persuade the reluctant third, as she kept prolonging her goodbyes in an effort to stay with the baby as long as possible.

 “Come by any time you want! We’re off duty for the next three months!” Rukia called out as they walked out the door. With one last wave goodbye at Ichika, now buried within the midst of a new throng of admirers, Orihime gladly assured her they would.

 The entire journey back through the Dangai, she could not stop talking about baby Ichika. And astonishingly, Byakuya now seemed openly keen to hear all the good things she had to say about his niece.

 “I’ve never seen a tinier baby before! The way Renji-kun held her in his hand…it was so cute! And you were right, Byakuya-san, her eyes looked _just_ like Rukia-san’s! So much of her looked just like Rukia-san! And Renji-kun, too.” Orihime sighed happily and gazed at the photos pulled up on her phone. “Oh, she’s going to be so pretty when she gets older! Don’t you think?” She looked up and addressed Byakuya directly with this question.

 Byakuya nodded politely to her in agreement as she rambled on but once she switched her attention back to the photos, he turned slightly away and quietly sighed, “ _If she takes after her mother, ”_ under his breath.

 Ichigo, being the only one who heard him say this, quickly stifled his laugh with a rough cough that sent his hell butterfly reeling and almost crashing antennae-first into the wall of the tunnel. Byakuya said nothing but shot him a subtle warning glare as it fluttered back into place.

 The sky was starting to darken when they finally stepped back into the Living World as the doors closed on Byakuya’s retreating back and the small flock of butterflies that followed. Orihime was staying with the Kurosaki’s for dinner that night so Chad said his goodbyes as well and left them together outside of Ichigo’s house.

 Ichigo surveyed Orihime, flushed from the cold and shivering slightly. Without thinking, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She looked up at him in surprise. “Oh, Ichigo-kun…I’m fine, really! But aren’t you going to be cold now?”

 “Nah. I’ve got extra layers on,” Ichigo assured her, “besides, we’re going inside aren’t we? It won’t be for long”

 “Ah, yes…you’re right.” Orihime smiled and held the jacket around herself. She really looked cute wearing his clothes, even if they were a little big on her. He couldn’t help the smile that broke out when he thought this, and actually almost didn’t notice he was doing it at first. If the way she bashfully bit her lip and pulled the jacket tighter was any indication, Orihime _definitely_ noticed.

 “Ichigo-kun?”

 “Yeah?”

 It was getting hard to see in the twilight but he could still make out the way Orihime pursed her lips and gazed at him with an expression that could only be described as _hopeful_. She started, “Seeing Ichika-chan…and seeing all of them together…it made me think…” Suddenly she blushed and turned away from him.

 “What?” Ichigo asked, genuinely interested to hear what she was going to say.

 After a moment, she hummed softly and tried again.

 “Ah, it’s just that…Renji-kun and Rukia-san seemed a bit different. But it wasn’t in a bad way. Even for Renji-kun,” Orihime murmured thoughtfully. She laughed a bit and looked back up at him. “Becoming a parent really changes you, huh?”

 The memories of Rukia cooing and fussing over her daughter and Renji frolicking about like some giant red and black rabbit played back in his mind, much like the movie they were supposed to see that day.

 “Yeah,” Ichigo snorted rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, “But don’t worry, Orihime. I don’t think _we’ll_ change too much. I swear I’m not gonna get as dopey as Renji. Or my old man. And you’re already kind of the mothering type, right? At least Karin and Yuzu seem to think that. So you won’t be too different, either. Although…”

 He trailed off. Orihime’s mouth had dropped wide open and she was staring at him in shock. 

 Automatically fearing he’d said the wrong thing, Ichigo frantically scrambled to think of a way to fix it when he realized it wasn’t _what_ he said, it was the _implication_ of what he said that his girlfriend was reacting to.

 Because he had just insinuated he was _certain_ they would have children together in the future.

 Nearby, the streetlamps had started flickering on. Ichigo felt his face flare up right along with them and this time _he_ was the one blushing and turning away from her. With a loud cough, he attempted to pull himself together and ended up awkwardly stammering out, “Oh…uh…I…that was…I just…”

 “Do you really mean that?”

 Caught off guard by her question, Ichigo froze. He knew by her tone of voice she wasn’t talking about believing parenthood wouldn’t change them. But did he really have an answer for what she was asking him? And if he did, was it too soon? What should he say to her? He didn’t know any of these things. Yet something compelled him to address it in some way and so, slowly, he turned back around to face her.

 Orihime was staring at the ground now, shyly twisting the ends of her long silky hair in the fingers of one hand while keeping his jacket in place with the other. The bright streetlamps made it much easier to see and the more he looked, the more they cast her in an ethereal glow and gave her the extraordinary appearance of a being emanating pure light. Or that could have been because on her face there was a smile: The same soft shining smile she wore when she looked so beautiful and peaceful cradling Ichika in her arms.

 In that instant, he was sure.

 Ichigo took a deep breath.

 “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orihime…what can I say about her? Such a loving caring sweetheart. XD I do have a lot of fun writing characters with snark and sass but it’s always nice to write characters who don’t have a mean bone in their body. I have no doubt that in canon she was genuinely excited and happy for her friends and fell in love with Ichika the moment she met her. And yes I do believe each couple had met the other’s kid at some point before chapter 686. It was just the children themselves had never met each other since Ichika had obviously never been to the Living World (Rukia’s comment on how she’d been given “special permission” to come to the Living World now that she was a Shinigami Apprentice) and Ichigo and Orihime had probably never taken Kazui to Soul Society since he was so young.
> 
> Renji and Rukia were probably a little awkward and clumsy as parents at first since they most likely had no experience with infants (or if they had, it’d been a while) but I have no doubt they quickly got the hang of it.
> 
> That’s all, folks! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this little passion project of mine. Please feel free to share/favorite/leave comments+suggestions! You can also find me (along with rebloggable versions of each chapter individually plus some extras and in-progress shots) on my tumblr: http://tappity-tap.tumblr.com :)

**Author's Note:**

> You know a creator has done a good job making varied and dynamic characters when they’re this much fun to write interactions for. *thumbs up in Kubo’s direction* Hopefully how I chose to set up the wedding venue doesn’t clash too much with novel canon. @_@
> 
> The first few chapters are Rukia’s POV but worry not! Renji gets his fair share of POV time as well. This deviates in the final chapter when the narration shifts to Ichigo and focuses more on his relationship with Orihime.


End file.
